Sixteen
by shadowjadis
Summary: 16-year-old Lynette Lindquist has just moved to Fairview, ready for a fresh start at Fairview High. There she'll meet many new people - nasty cheerleaders, cool kids, creepy outcasts and funny gossipers. Almost all characters included!
1. A fresh start

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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For some people, the first day at a new school is one of their worst nightmares. Nobody wants to separate from their all-time friends to try to fit in somewhere else. However, that is not such a problem when you are not really leaving anything behind.

That was Lynette Lindquist's case. Her family had moved four times in less than ten years, which meant four different cities, four different homes and four different schools. She had never been one of the popular girls. Knowing that she would not spend that much time in the same place had made a quiet, shy girl out of her. Besides, there was one more obstacle – she was a good student; a nerd in her classmates eyes.

Lynette was determined to change that. Whenever her family had moved to a new place, she had promised herself that she would make an effort to fit in. Sadly, it had never worked too well. But this time it would be different, she told herself.

Therefore she had calculated to the smallest detail the way she was going to behave on her first day. She had started using contact lenses a week before, and was getting used to them quite well. This way, she would not have to wear those telltale glasses anymore. For the first time in her life, she had switched the usual jeans and t-shirt for a miniskirt and a tight sweater, and let her blonde locks loose instead of a ponytail.

She got off the bus, concentrating on her feet and hoping no-one would realize that it was the first time she had ever worn high-heeled shoes. Tip, heel, tip, heel, tip, heel… As she crossed the schoolyard, she observed the people around her, unconsciously trying to find her place.

Amongst all the young kids – who had obviously just moved on from elementary school to secondary school – she tried to spot other students who looked more or less the same age as she was. The first group that caught her eye consisted solely of boys. They all were wearing shirts, corduroy trousers and lace-up shoes. One of them, who seemed to be the leader, was proudly showing the rest a radio-controlled plane, while the others let out amazed expressions. There was especially a boy who caught her attention. He was standing on the left-hands side of the plane owner, admiring the device and holding a trombone in his hand. He was pretty cute.

_Forget about them, Lynette. They're clearly nerds. You don't want to be one of them anymore, do you? _

She shook her head and passed them by, ignoring how much she would have liked to ask the boy if he had built the plane himself. The best idea was to move on. On the other side of the yard, a bunch of people were gathered, both male and female. Amongst them, a tall blonde girl was standing out. She looked very tough, wearing a checked sleeveless shirt and ripped jeans. The smoke of cigarettes coming from their area, however, made Lynette cough as she walked past them, so she assumed they would not be her type.

The new girl in town watched two big, muscular football players throwing the ball at each other in the middle of the yard before finally stepping into the building. As she walked to her newly assigned locker, she noticed several heads turning to see her, but no-one approached her. She did not look back either, since she had never liked being the center of attention. Instead, she kept observing the people surrounding her discreetly.

While a group of mainstream boys checked her out shamelessly, Lynette focused on two other girls to avoid blushing or making a fool of herself on the first day. Both of them were brunettes and had make-up on. Just judging by their outfits, it was clear that they were cheerleaders. She did not know what they were talking about, but it must have been fun, for they were both giggling quite loudly.

_Not even in your wildest dreams…_

She had always had bad experiences with cheerleaders, so she did not even bother trying to speak to them. Her locker was just a few steps away, so she decided to just leave her books and wait until recess to start socializing. She turned, giving her back to everyone else and introduced the key in her padlock to open it.

"Hey, nice shoes!" she heard a voice behind her saying.

**To be continued…**


	2. Vicious cheerleaders

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Lynette suppressed a gasp and turned her head slowly. She could not believe her eyes when she saw two dark-haired cheerleaders standing behind her. Getting ready for the worst deep inside, she gave them a shaky smile.

"Er… thank you!"

"You're new here, aren't you?" the smaller of the two asked.

"Yeah" she replied.

"Cool!" the girl exclaimed, fluttering her eyelashes, which had a ridiculous amount of mascara on "What's your name?"

"Lynette. Lynette Lindquist"

"Oh, I like that name!" the other cheerleader intervened "Can we call you Lynnie?"

"Actually, I'd rather you didn't…"

"Welcome to Fairview High, Lynnie!" the shorter one interrupted "My name is Gabrielle Marquez. You can call me Gabby"

"And I am Susan Bremmer, nice to meet you" the taller one introduced herself.

Lynette smiled. She was actually a little surprised by their attitude. Usually, in the best cases, cheerleaders just ignored her. The popular girls at school had never been that nice to her.

_Remember, they are cheerleaders. They'll probably make fun of you._

She repeated that phrase to herself mentally over and over. Gabby, the smaller one, who was obviously a latina, took one of Lynette's blonde locks in her hand.

"Your hair color is lovely! Are you naturally blonde?" she asked fascinated.

"Well, yes…"

"Oh, how lucky!" Susan pouted.

"Thank you! You guys have very nice hair too" Lynette said politely, not used to that much attention.

"Are you in 11th grade too, Lynnie?" Susan asked.

The blonde nodded.

"Group B"

"Awesome, we'll be in the same class!" Gabby exclaimed cheerfully.

"Come, we'll show you around the school" Susan offered.

However, the bell rang, interrupting their conversation. Both cheerleaders rolled their eyes.

"Oh, great!" Gabby sighed harshly "Well, never mind. You can sit with us during the presentation though"

"Yes, we can tell you everything about this school" Susan grinned.

Lynette grinned back at them as she followed them to the classroom. She was going to take a seat in the first row, but someone grabbing her by the wrist stopped her.

"What are you doing?" Gabrielle laughed "Only nerds sit in the first row!"

"Oh. Of course" Lynette let out a nervous laugh and joined her newly found friends at the back of the class.

More and more students entered the room. Lynette recognized some of them. Each was different from the one before. As the girls had predicted, soon the so-called nerds occupied the first row. The diverse groups of friends were chatting excitedly, probably sharing stories of the summer, when the teacher walked in. She was a dark blonde woman in her late thirties. Although she had not spoken a word, there was something friendly in her. The teacher took a chalk and wrote her name on the blackboard.

"Good morning everyone!" she greeted "I'm Karen McCluskey – Mrs. McCluskey for you, and I'm going to be your class teacher this year. Besides, I'll also teach you Literature…"

She went on to remind her students of the school rules and so on. Susan's voice distracted Lynette from the teacher's speech.

"God, this is so boring!" the brunette whispered.

Gabby nodded in agreement.

"Have you seen Maisy Gibbons? Whoever told her that hairstyle suited her was definitely not her friend" she commented.

"I know, right!" Susan giggled "And her skirt? It looks like she had inherited it from her grandma"

Lynette could not hear what the teacher was saying. She would have liked to turn and tell the cheerleaders to be quite or at least not that loud, but she did not dare. It was her first day and she had to make a good impression.

"Oh, look, Betty Applewhite is sitting next to Peter McMillan!" Susan pointed out "Do you think it's true that she's dating him?"

"Nah, she's so not his type!" Gabby replied "Maybe if she lost some weight and started doing something about her acne… Jeez! Make-up is your friend!"

Hearing those comments, Lynette had to hold herself not to glare at them. She did not know who they were talking about, but their tone was unbelievably rude. It was exactly that kind of talk what she had always disliked about cheerleaders. She decided that it would be better to concentrate on the teacher's speech instead of letting them irritate her. Nevertheless, that was not going to be possible. She felt someone patting her shoulder, trying to get her attention, and turned.

"Lynnie, what do you think about that guy in the first row on the very left?" Gabby asked her.

The blonde followed the direction into which the latina was pointing with her gaze. They boy in question was slightly taller than average. The cuffs and collar of a white shirt could be seen below a grey jumper and his dark brown hair was a bit longer than usual, but still not really long. He looked pretty smart and definitely did not seem unattractive. However, she knew her answer could be important in the way her new acquaintances would see her, so she decided to go for the safe thing.

"He… he's ok, I guess"

Gabrielle chuckled.

"Oh, come on! He's a total geek! And he needs a haircut, like, urgently"

"Who are you talking about, girls?" Susan joined the conversation.

"Hodgie" the petite brunette replied.

"What's his name?" Lynette asked.

"Hodge. Orson Hodge, but we refer to him as Hodgie" Susan explained "He had a crush on me in the 8th grade"

"Ew, I wouldn't want a nerd to have a crush on me!" Gabby grimaced "The only one that's more or less acceptable is the one sitting next to him – Tom. He's not the typical nerd with glasses and spots all over his face. He's quite cute actually"

"That Hodge guy has no glasses either" Lynette pointed out.

"I know, but just look at his clothes – everything in him spells out geek" Gabby ran a hand through her perfectly straightened black hair "Tom at least has little bit more style"

"He's ok. Not my type though" Susan remarked "What I find a bit creepy is his obsession with his trombone. He takes it everywhere"

"Well, guys who play a wind instrument are usually good at using their tongues" Gabby grinned. Seeing Susan's shocked look, she blushed slightly and added "That's what I've heard"

"Girls, is everything alright there?" the teacher asked from the other end of the class, making all the other heads turn towards them "If you have any doubts, you can ask me"

"No, Mrs. McCluskey, everything's fine" Susan assured her.

The teacher shook her head and turned to the blackboard again, where she was writing something. Lynette rubbed her brow, feeling slightly embarrassed. As she looked up again, she noticed someone's eyes glaring into her direction. They belonged to a girl in black, who looked away immediately as her gaze met Lynette's. The blonde came to the conclusion that she was not glaring at her, but at her two friends. However, what caught her eye was the fact that the girl was sitting completely alone. All the seats around her were empty. Susan's voice distracted her once more.

"So Lynnie, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Will you shut up?" a boy from the row right in front of theirs whispered irritated "Some of us are trying to listen"

"No, you shut up, Bolen!" Susan retorted.

"Talk to us when you've washed your hair" Gabby added.

Bolen sighed harshly and turned away. Gabby hi-fived Susan, both of them giggling at his reaction. Lynette took a deep breath. She was starting to feel that she had chosen the wrong people to hang out with.

Apart from that, she was glad that Bolen had interrupted their conversation. She did not like to talk about her personal life. Moreover, it embarrassed her a little to admit that no, she had never had a boyfriend in her life. Reputation and stereotypes aside, she had never met any boy she found interesting enough.

For the rest of the lesson, she managed to concentrate on what the teacher was saying and ignore the annoying cheerleaders she was sitting next to. She told herself that it was her first day there, so she still had time to find her place. And she had promised herself that, for once in her life, she would.


	3. More than I can stand

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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The first four days, which are known to be the hardest, went by more quickly than she had expected. Lynette was excited to properly start her courses and anxious to get to know more people. Her new cheerleader friends were quite nice to her, but there were still many things she disliked about them. Hearing them constantly making fun of other people annoyed her a lot, especially because she knew what it was like to be teased by the popular girls. She wanted to run away from them, but sadly for her, Gabrielle and Susan seemed to like her particularly and did not leave her alone a minute.

"Oh, here you are, Lynnie!" Susan exclaimed behind her.

Lynette sighed as discreetly as she could before turning away from her locker, putting a smile on to greet the brunette.

"Hey Susan!"

The cheerleader handed Lynette a flyer in some jazzy colors. The blonde had a quick look at it and then moved her eyes back to Susan.

"What's this?" she asked.

"The try-outs for the cheerleading squad are starting today during the break" Susan explained "Here's everything you need to know. Gabby and I would be very glad to count on you"

Lynette was going to reply that it was not exactly her cup of tea. She had never been much of a sportsperson, and although she had never tried it, she knew cheerleading would certainly be one of the last things she would choose. However, Gabrielle turned up at that very moment and joined the conversation.

"Hey girls!" she beamed.

"I just gave her the flyer" Susan announced.

"Oh, are you going to try out, Lynnie?" Gabby wondered excitedly.

"I don't know, I-"

Something distracted the cheerleaders' attention and, in turn, gave Lynette time to think of an excuse. The latina nudged Susan, who turned immediately. They both exchanged meaningful looks. Lynette looked past them to see what was causing that reaction in them. A girl from their class had just arrived. She had wavy reddish hair and was dressed completely in black. Except for her hair and the crimson lipstick she was wearing, everything else in her was black – her clothes, her nails, the excessive amount of mascara and eyeliner in her eyes, the leather necklace closed tightly around her neck… The whole combination brought out her light tone of skin, which looked even paler. Lynette had already noticed her before, and not only because of her eye-catching appearance, but also because of the attitude some students had towards her. Wherever she was sitting in the classroom, all the seats surrounding hers were always free.

Gabrielle and Susan walked up to the girl, who had just opened her locker, minding her own business. Lynette bit her lower lip as she watched the scene. She had the hunch that the cheerleaders' intentions were anything but good.

"Hey Reilly!" Gabby poked the girl's shoulder with her finger.

The redhead did not turn. Gabby insisted.

"Hello! Earth calling Reilly! I'm talking to you!"

This time, the girl did turn. She did not say a word, but the glare she gave Gabrielle would have turned her into stone. However, that did not affect the little cheerleader.

"Here, we have something for you" she said as she handed her one of the flyers announcing the try-outs.

Reilly had a quick look at it. Then, as soon as she noticed what it was, she rejected it with her hand, making it fall to the floor.

"Where are your manners, Reilly?" Susan told her off mockingly.

"Pick it up" Gabrielle commanded.

The goth raised her eyebrows and turned away from them. Unfortunately for her, the two girls were not going to give up that easily. They looked at each other and nodded. Susan pushed the door of Reilly's locker closed, the redhead's fingers almost getting trapped. She took her fingers to her mouth, relieving the pain.

"Oh, look at her! Licking her fingers like a baby" Susan made fun of her.

"She probably misses something to suck on, as she's not getting any" Gabrielle completed.

Lynette did not know what to do. It was either intervene or look away, but she could not bring herself to do either. Instead, she kept observing.

"And she never will" Susan said "Which guy would date such an ugly chick?"

Gabrielle giggled to Susan's comment.

"Maybe if she had used the summer to get some tan instead of looking like a corpse…"

"Gabby, you have to understand it – she never goes out. She's all the time at home cutting herself"

The latina giggled even louder.

"No, that's not the reason. I think her skin suffered some mutation because she takes too many drugs"

"Yeah, exactly!" Susan exclaimed, laughing stupidly "Did you get your fix today, Junkie Reilly?"

Reilly still did not say anything. She merely rolled her eyes and finished taking the books she needed out of her locker. Yet as she tried to move on, the two cheerleaders blocked her way.

"You still haven't picked the paper up, Junkie Reilly!"

The goth tried to ignored them, but Susan kicked her on the leg until she fell on her knees. Lynette could feel her stomach turning in the view of such cruelty. Not even she had been victim of such kind of bullying.

"Oh, look, she fell to the floor!" Gabrielle said, mocking pity.

"That's just because her ass is too big and heavy" Susan looked down at Reilly with a horrible grin on her face "She tries to hide it wearing black, but it doesn't work. We can all see that she's fat. Fat Junkie!"

Both cheerleaders laughed loudly, following the girl as they kept repeating the same "Fat Junkie!" chant. Disgusted by the situation, Lynette had to get away. That was the last straw. Now she was sure of one thing – she did not want to have anything to do with those girls anymore. Luckily for her, they would be busy during the break with the try-outs, so she could escape them without having to confront them. It was a coward decision, she knew that, but seeing what they could do, she certainly did not want to get into trouble with them.

She even avoided sitting with them, making the silly excuse that the only free desk close to them was too dirty. At least this time she could pay attention to the teacher without those two annoying her with gossip she absolutely did not care about. Being able to concentrate on the lessons helped her calm her anger. She did not have to put up with the cheerleaders until the bell announced the beginning of the break.

"Hey Lynnie! Wanna come with us to the try-outs?" Gabrielle offered, leaning her arm on the locker next to Lynette's.

"Er… I don't know, I'm not even wearing the right clothes" Lynette excused herself.

"You can just come with us to watch" Susan smiled "You're cool. You can sit with us and help us choose the new cheerleaders"

"Yeah, and we can have a few laughs at the ones who can't do it right" the latina grinned maliciously.

"Oh… I… have to go to the bathroom. You girls just go there, I'll join you later at the gym" the blonde said.

She hurried to the toilets, making her way through the crowd. Indeed she needed to go there, but it was not that urgent. She was just thankful that it had given her an excuse to get away from them.

As it was only her fourth day, she still did not know the place too well and it took her a little long to find the toilets. One more excuse for not going to the gym to see the try-outs, she thought. Lynette pushed the door open, almost bumping into Reilly, who was getting out.

"Junkie!" a deep voice called after her from the inside.

It belonged to a girl with dark blonde wavy hair who was smoking in the toilet, her back resting against the wall. Lynette thought that she looked more like a junkie with the cigarette between her fingers and her filmy loose shirt than the other girl did. The smoker did not say anything to Lynette, yet the blonde could feel the other's eyes following her as she entered the cubicle.

A while later, when she went to wash her hands, the toilets were already empty. Her eyes widened as she heard the familiar giggles and voices getting closer, so she started rushing downstairs into the opposite direction.

"Hey Cinderella! You're forgetting something"

She turned, a bit embarrassed, to the boy who had spoken to her. She had been running so fast that she had not realized that one of her high-heels had fallen from her foot.

"Thank you!" she said, as she took the shoe and put it on.

The boy smirked. He was very skinny and had spiky hair.

"I don't understand why you're wearing them; you don't seem too comfortable in them or any of the clothes you're wearing"

Lynette felt that she was blushing. He was right – she had been wearing the most feminine clothes she had found in her wardrobe and the same shoes all week. She still was not completely used to them though. The boy chuckled and kept talking.

"You're the new one, right? My name's Lee" he held out his hand for her to shake.

"I'm Lynette" she introduced herself.

"I've seen you hanging out with Marquez and Bremmer, are you a cheerleader?" he asked.

"No. Are you?"

"Haha, you're hilarious!" Lee joked, although he did not seem offended at all by the joke "Say, are you hungry?"

Lynette nodded.

"I'm going to the canteen, you can come with me if you like" he offered "I have a couple of friends I'd like to introduce you to"

"Ok"

A bit unsure this time, Lynette followed the boy. It was useful, since she did not even know where the canteen was. Besides, she would have company during lunch, which was always a good thing.

Once they had picked up something to eat, Lee cast his eyes over the canteen, tray in hand, looking for his friends. Two girls waved to him from a table at the back.

"Lee! We're here!"

Smiling, Lee guided Lynette to them. As they got closer, Lynette smiled on the inside. Judging by their looks, Lee's two friends seemed to be more her type. They were pretty average girls, clearly not cheerleaders. Their clothes and hairstyles were slightly conservative, but she did not dislike that. It had a certain nerdish touch – a very mild one though.

"Hey!" Lee greeted as he took a seat in front of them, sliding his tray along the table.

"Hi!" they said in unison, their eyes fixed on Lynette.

The blonde smiled shyly and sat down next to Lee.

"Girls, this is Lynette" Lee explained to them "She's new to the school"

"Oh, yes, I had already seen you. Your locker is next to mine" one of them said. She was also blonde and outstandingly tall for her age "I'm Mary-Alice"

"Nice to meet you" Lynette replied.

"And this is Bree" Mary-Alice pointed to the other girl, who was a redhead.

"Nice to meet you too" Lynette repeated.

She began to eat her lunch, sensing their curious looks. Even Lee had turned to her.

"Well, tell us something about yourself" he asked her.

Lynette looked up at him, biting her lip slightly. That was one of the questions she hated most in life.

"Are you a cheerleader?" Bree asked, her big turquoise eyes staring at her.

"No" Lynette answered "Actually, they asked me to try out, but I don't think I'll do it"

"Why not?" Lee questioned.

"Cheerleading is not really my thing" Lynette shrugged.

"I don't like it either" Mary-Alice said.

"You're a bit too tall for our cheerleading team" Lee teased her "I can picture you better playing basketball"

"There he goes again!" Mary-Alice rolled her eyes playfully and smacked her friend in the arm, who giggled.

Bree took off her yellow hair-band, which matched with the jumper she was wearing, and tidied up her fiery hair.

"No wonder" she commented as she put it the hair-band on again "Our cheerleaders here are pretty idiotic"

"Oh, I've seen that" Lynette nodded, remembering the scene she had seen a few hours before.

"How do you like Fairview?" Mary-Alice asked her, trying to change the subject.

"It's ok. Pretty quiet"

"You mean boring" Lee corrected "It's so small, nothing ever happens"

"Of course it's boring compared to Chicago, Lee" Bree pointed out.

"Are you from Chicago?" Lynette turned to him.

The boy laughed and shook his head.

"I wish! But my aunt lives there and sometimes we go there on the holidays"

"He's totally obsessed with it" Mary-Alice whispered with a smirk.

"I'm not!"

All three friends laughed in unison. Lynette smiled. The atmosphere amongst them was far nicer than the one amongst the cheerleaders.


	4. Getting to know you

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Little by little, the days turned to weeks. Thanks to the chance encounter with Lee, Lynette was beginning to feel at home at Fairview High. Bree and Mary-Alice were very nice, not as gossipy and shallow as many other girls. They did have interests and were smart, although they could not be referred to as nerds. The cheerleaders, on the other hand, while they seemed to have understood that Lynette did not want to be one of them, had pretty much stopped speaking to her. At least they were not ostracizing and playing pranks on her.

In any case, she did not care much about them, as she was really comfortable with her new friends. The three of them would go for lunch together in the canteen and then sit on the steps of the schoolyard, chatting and observing the others. Lee turned out to be a chatterbox who seemed to know everything about every single student. It was always fun to listen to him talking about others, especially because he did not do it with malice.

The sun was shining on that day, so most of the students – if not all of them – were outside, enjoying the nice weather. Lynette and her friends sat down in the usual place, the yoghourts they were having for dessert in their hands. From their higher, strategic situation, they could see the whole schoolyard, and the different cliques gathering in their respective corners. One of the groups caught her attention particularly. She nudged Lee, pointing into their direction.

"Who's that guy with Susan Bremmer?" she asked.

A big, sporty guy had his arm around Susan's shoulders. They were both giggling and chatting with a group of other cheerleaders and boys.

"How can you possibly not know Karl Mayer, our superstar quarterback?" Lee laughed.

"And a complete idiot" Mary-Alice rolled her eyes.

"Is he dating Susan?" Lynette wanted to know.

"Of course, who else?" Lee replied "It's just the natural order of life – footballers date cheerleaders"

Mary-Alice shook her head.

"I sort of feel sorry for her" she said.

"That's not a nice way to talk about your boyfriend's best friend" Bree joked.

Mary-Alice put her tongue out as she tackled her playfully. Lynette turned to her surprised.

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend"

"Well, it's not really that serious" Mary-Alice shrugged "I've only gone on a couple of dates with him"

"He's a footballer too" Bree explained "And one of the best"

"I don't know" Mary-Alice grimaced "He's a good guy, but… if he was a little bit taller…"

"Any guy is too small for you, Mary-Alice" Lee teased her.

All four friends laughed. Lee, who was sitting next to Mary-Alice, leaned forward to look at Lynette.

"And you, Lynette, are you seeing someone?"

Normally, she would have hated such a question, but she did not mind it much. However, before she could reply, Bree interrupted her.

"Don't tell him! The whole school will know four days later!"

Seeing Lynette's confused expression, Mary-Alice intervened.

"The three of us work together for the school newspaper. Lee deals with the gossip section"

"I see" Lynette smiled "Well, sorry to disappoint you, but you're not getting any juicy stories about me. I don't have a boyfriend. My life is very boring" she looked at the other two, who were still silent "And you guys? Are you seeing anyone?"

"No, not at the moment" Lee answered quickly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Last term I went on a couple of dates with Ty Grant from Group A, but it didn't work out too well" Bree explained.

"Hey guys, look!" Mary-Alice interrupted the conversation.

They all followed the direction she was looking into. A motorbike pulled up where all the bicycles were parked. The driver took off his helmet. He was a brown-haired boy, approximately the same age as them. He had a black leather jacket and sunglasses on. Just as she saw him, Lynette had the feeling that it was one of those guys who think they are incredibly cool. Immediately, a group of people gathered around him.

"Three weeks late. Wow! He's starting to learn what it means to be punctual!" Mary-Alice commented.

"Maybe he was in jail because they caught him selling weed… again" Lee joked.

Bree snorted and shook her head.

"I honestly don't know what everyone sees in him"

In fact, Lynette realized something. Susan Bremmer, who had been busy until that moment cuddling and giggling with her boyfriend, turned her head to the newcomer like he had a magnet. Many students from different grades and cliques were greeting him. He appeared to be very popular. At that very instant, he was hi-fiving a large latino whose style was pretty similar to his.

"Who is it?" Lynette wondered.

"Delfino" Lee informed her "Mike Delfino. The Fairview High heartbreaker and the troublemaker of Group B"

"Oh, is he in our class?"

"Unfortunately" Bree mumbled.

"One of the coolest guys at school without playing football" Mary-Alice added "I don't think there's a single girl who never had a crush on him"

"Here's one" Bree raised her hand "Seriously, what's so great about him? To me he looks like a low-class drug dealer"

"Well, he is kind of hot" Mary-Alice admitted "He looks a bit like a rockstar, and he also has a certain Italian charm"

"He's attractive. I would date him – if I were a girl, of course!" Lee added, blushing.

A dirty-blonde girl elbowed her way through the crowd until Delfino noticed her. He smiled broadly and lifted her in his arms. They both kissed as the other students cheered.

"I take it that's his girlfriend" Lynette guessed.

She had seen the girl before. Most of the times they had run into each other had been in the bathroom, where she was smoking. The wavy, dark blonde hair and the hippie-esque style were unmistakable.

"Exactly. Angie Vitale" Mary-Alice replied.

"They're quite a good match" Lee remarked as he took a spoonful of his yoghourt "Vitale and Delfino. Both Italians, both rebels… in fact, there's the rumor that her father is a gangster and his father works for him"

The redhead sighed harshly.

"I can't believe they're still together. Everyone knows that she cheats on him whenever she has something to drink. What a slut!"

They all looked at her shocked. Bree was usually quite polite, so it felt kind of weird to hear her using that language. She rested her chin on her fist and spoke on.

"But yeah, you're right; they're quite a good match – the drug dealer and the junkie"

Hearing the word junkie made Lynette think of something. She had been meaning to ask Lee about it for some time.

"Lee, you know everything there is to know about everyone, don't you?" she started.

"Most likely" he smiled proudly.

"What can you tell me about that girl from our class – Reilly or something like that?"

Her friends reacted as she had just named the devil. All three stared at her, strange expressions covering their faces.

"Junkie Reilly?" Bree exclaimed.

"Yeah, I think it's that one. I don't know her name"

"Her name is JK Reilly" Lee explained "No-one knows what JK stands for. Hence Junkie. Apart from the obvious reasons, of course"

"She's a weirdo" Bree said "Be careful with her"

"Why?" Lynette wanted to know "What does she do?"

"Nobody knows much about her because she pretty much doesn't talk. But well, apart from being a junkie, she seems to have some kind of strange obsession with death and so on"

"She's suicidal. And a Satanist" Bree interrupted "There's a skull in her locker, I've seen it. And she cuts herself. Carolyn Bigsby, from Group A, had to be her lab partner two years ago and told me that she had wounds and scratches all over her arms"

"I kind of feel pity for her" Mary-Alice shook her head "But she's creepy"

"Well, she is a little bit eccentric" Lynette recognized "But I don't know why everyone is so mean to her. Gabby and Susan are always picking on her. I saw them following her shouting 'Fat Junkie'. And she isn't even fat at all!"

"Oh, god, no!" Lee gasped "Don't tell me they said that! What were they thinking? Do they want her to get sick again?"

"She used to be bulimic" Mary-Alice informed her "Or anorexic; I don't really know. The thing is that the girl has a lot of issues"

"She totally gives me the creeps" Bree insisted "She's crazy, I tell you!" her greenish-blue eyes were open wide, like whenever she got enthusiastic about something "I always try to stay away from her, especially after knowing what she did to Nina Fletcher"

"What happened?"

"She made a pass on her" Lee replied excitedly, his brown eyes sparkling, showing clearly that he was enjoying the gossip.

"Lee, we don't even know whether that's true" Mary-Alice retorted "But she's quite a troubled girl. She doesn't have any friends at all"

The doorbell announced that the break was over and it was time for them to go back to the classroom. All four friends stood up and walked inside together, trying not to bump into the all the other students stampeding into the building.


	5. One of us

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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A large group of students was standing in a circle in the middle of the schoolyard. Everyone was there, no matter what clique they belonged in. Loud voices echoed all around, coming from them. Something really spectacular must be taking place. The clamor coming from the crowd interrupted even the conversation Lynette and her friends were having as they went out of the building.

"What's going on there?" Mary-Alice wondered.

Lee's lips curled up in a smile. If something juicy was happening, he had to be the first to know. Or at least he had to get the most interesting details.

"Let's go" he motioned with his hand, telling the three girls to follow him.

Bree and Lynette exchanged looks. Then they shrugged and followed them, a bit more reluctantly. They were also curious, but still did not want to get too close to everyone else. If there was a fight, Lynette knew by experience that it was better to stay away from it. As they approached the group, two angry, feminine voices stood out from all the cheers and exclamations surrounding them.

"Don't tell me who I can and can't talk to!" one of them protested.

"I'll just warn you once more – leave my boyfriend alone!" the other one shouted.

"Your boyfriend? He was friends with me before he even spoke to you!"

Lee quickly elbowed his way through the people and was soon standing in the first row. The three girls stayed a bit behind, trying to find a space between all the students who were blocking their vision. Only Mary-Alice, who was quite taller, could see something from their position.

"No way!" she exclaimed.

"Who is it?" Bree asked her, looking up.

"Vitale and Britt"

A chubby, dark-haired girl who was standing in front of them, turned around with an excited expression on her face.

"It's going to be the catfight of the year!" she exclaimed "Apparently, Britt made a pass on Delfino"

"How do you know, Mona?" Bree questioned her.

"Oh, I was there when the fight started" Mona explained.

The crowd gasped loudly and took one step back, almost making Bree and Lynette fall.

"What happened?" Lynette tried to find a blank between the people in front of her through which she could look.

"Vitale has just been pushed" Mary-Alice informed from above.

Finally, one of the boys moved over so Lynette could see the centre of the circle. Delfino's hippie-esque girlfriend stood up from the floor, where she had fallen and walked defiantly towards the other girl, who was a good couple of centimeters taller and appeared to be quite stronger. Her opponent, Britt, brushed some strands of blonde hair away from her face and spat at her. Vitale wiped her face and jumped on Britt, giving an angry cry. The spectators took one step back as the fight became more violent. The rivals' swear words could be heard from every corner of the schoolyard, and even freshmen were joining the group.

"Maybe we should go" Bree suggested "Before we end up getting hit too, I mean"

Mary-Alice nodded.

"We'll get all the gossip from Lee anyway" she pointed out.

The three walked away discreetly from the ring, still gazing at the awful show from time to time. They sat down on their favorite spot on the steps.

"I can't believe they're fighting over that Delfino guy!" Bree shook her head.

Two teachers arrived, pushing and elbowing her way to the middle to stop the fight. Mrs. McCluskey grabbed both Bree's arms from behind, while the other one, Mrs. Greenberg, encircled Vitale, who was still kicking the air and yelling at her rival. Both were taken to the principal's office. A few seconds later, the circle broke and each clique went back to occupy their usual places, commenting what had just taken place excitedly. Lee run to his three friends.

"It was incredible!" he exclaimed almost breathlessly.

"Tell us" Mary-Alice asked him.

Lee sat next to her and tried to catch his breath before narrating. Like with any bit of gossip, his widened eyes were sparkling.

"Apparently, Angie got jealous because Mike is talking to Edie a lot. She claims that she wants to steal him"

"Doesn't she?"

"Not at all! Edie Britt is not into Delfino. She's not into any guy from this school. Trust me, I know her" Lee said confidently "So Angie called Edie a whore and the other one slapped her. Angie tried to slap her back, but Edie pushed her and she fell to the floor. She fell! On her ass!" Lee chuckled "When Angie got up, Edie spat at her; that was gross! And then she pulled Britt's hair and they both fell to the floor and started punching and scratching each other. I thought Angie was going to strangle Edie!"

Mary-Alice rolled her eyes.

"At least it didn't last for too long"

"If Mrs. McCluskey and Mrs. Greenberg hadn't arrived, those two would have killed each other, I tell you!"

"We have to admit one thing though – Angie Vitale has some guts" Bree commented "No-one else dares to mess with Edie Britt. Even cheerleaders are afraid of her"

"I can imagine why" Lynette said.

"But it was very exciting" Lee continued "I'm so writing a special about it in the gossip section"

They all laughed.

"Oh, Lee, you're such a snoop!" Mary-Alice giggled.

"Hey, you guys were waiting for me to come and give you all the details!" he replied jokingly "Confess!"

"Alright, maybe a little" Mary-Alice admitted "Talking about the gossip section, we should start the planning. This year's first number is coming out next week and we still have nothing"

"You're right!" Bree intervened alarmed "The organization has become sort of crappy since Albert Goldfine left. He was probably the best editor in chief we ever had"

"I know" Mary-Alice sighed "We need to meet the team as soon as possible"

"Yeah, and we need some new people to work with us" Lee pointed out "Too bad some of the best have already graduated. I think the only ones left are the three of us and Dave Williams, who was doing the sports section"

"Hey, if it's only the three of us, we could talk about it after school today" it occurred to Bree "Today's Wednesday, aren't we going to the pizzeria?"

"Oh, yes, it's been ages! I was already missing it" Mary-Alice giggled. Then she turned to Lynette "Do you want to come with us?"

The question caught her by surprise. The blonde frowned.

"But I don't work for the school newspaper…"

"Well, you could, if you want to" Mary-Alice suggested with a smile "Anyway, we're not only going to talk about that. Last year, we used to go to the pizzeria after school every Wednesday. It's quite nearby, and it was very handy because Bree and Lee had singing lessons at three"

"Do you sing?" Lynette asked.

"Yes, we're both in the school choir" Bree smirked "The rehearsals are starting today, by the way"

"Great! Pizza days, like in the old times!" Lee exclaimed enthusiastically "Are you joining us, Lynette?"

"Yeah, why not?" she smiled.

The next few hours until the lessons were over seemed to last eternally. Not because they were boring, but because Lynette was too excited, looking forward to going to the pizzeria with Lee and the girls. She did not get that kind of invitations too often. The few friends she had made in all her other schools had never been close enough to her or wanted to meet her outside the classroom. Whenever those thoughts came to her mind, she found herself grinning like crazy.

Finally, the bell announced the end of their last class. She followed her friends to the pizza place, which, as Mary-Alice had said, was just a five-minute walk away from school, where Lee and Bree had their singing lessons. It looked very cozy and familiar with its enormous windows, the walls painted in a soft shade of orange, combining with furniture made of dark wood and a checked pattern on the floor. The restaurant was not very crowded, so it was perfect to sit and have a nice chat. Lynette had never been there, but she liked it immediately since the very moment she stepped inside.

"Afternoon, Mr. Scavo!" Mary-Alice, who was the first one to enter, greeted.

A middle-aged man waved at her from behind the counter.

"Hello there! I was already missing you guys! Your table has been quite lonely"

Laughing, they occupied a table at the back of the restaurant, close to the window. The name of the pizzeria was written on one of the windows in big, yellow letters – _Scavo's_. She had heard that name before, but she was not sure where… Suddenly, she saw the answer cutting lemons behind the bar in the form of a young boy.

"Hey" she nudged Lee "Is that…?"

"Tom Scavo, exactly" her friend nodded "His father is the owner, so he's quite often here to help"

Tom waved his hand at them, visibly embarrassed. Seeing him there, Lynette remembered the cheerleaders' comment – "He's not the typical nerd". Indeed, he did not look like one at all, but more like a completely ordinary boy. He was also sort of cute, even in that pizzeria uniform. He brushed some short strands of sandy blonde hair from his forehead and then went back to the lemons.

When Lynette turned her head, she noticed that they had company. Although he was not particularly tall or strong, his constitution, along with his outfit, made very clear that he was a footballer. He pecked Mary-Alice's lips before dragging a chair and sitting next to her.

"Paul, this is Lynette. I don't think you know her" Mary-Alice introduced, her cheeks still cutely blushed.

"Hey!" he waved.

Lynette smiled to him in response. The boy exhaled and sat back on the chair.

"How was the training?" his girlfriend wanted to know.

"It was ok" Paul replied "Our first game is still one month away, so it's not too hard yet"

"Of course, the term has just started!"

"Oh, speaking of which!" Lee intervened "I think it's already time for one of my famous opening parties!"

"Right!" Mary-Alice exclaimed "Are you throwing one soon?"

"Sure!" Lee nodded "In a couple of weeks. And you are all invited!"

Bree bit her lip.

"Could it be a bit earlier this time for a change?" she asked "You know my dad doesn't want me to stay out later than half past ten"

"I'll try to"

"My curfew is also eleven. We can walk home with you" Mary-Alice said to Bree, pointing at her and Paul, who nodded.

Lee twisted up his face.

"It sucks that you girls can't stay for too long. What about you, Lynette?"

The question caught the blonde off-guard. It was true that Lee had said they were _all_ invited, but she had understood it as a way to be polite. She did not think he actually wanted her in his party. No-one had ever invited her to one. Probably it was the surprise what made her stammer.

"Er… I don't know"

"What don't you know?" Lee frowned in confusion.

Uncomfortable, Lynette ran a hand through her hair, avoiding eye contact.

"I don't… go out at night very often, so… I don't know what my curfew is" she admitted.

Her friends seemed very puzzled by that answer. Lee was the first one to react.

"Don't your parents let you go out in the evening?"

"I only live with my mother" she corrected him "And it's not that they don't let me go out… I just don't do it… too often, I mean"

The last thing she wanted was to sound like some sort of outcast or antisocial girl. What would her friends think of her if she said that she had _never_ gone out at night? It was her first chance ever to do so.

"But you're coming anyway, aren't you?" Lee insisted.

"Well, I have to ask my mother first"

"I hope she lets you" Bree commented "Lee's parties are lots of fun. Everyone's there. Even the coolest kids at school go to them"

"The trick is just to have contacts" Lee smirked "And I'm lucky that my parents have a big house and let me have parties when they go away for the weekend"

"Sounds really good" Paul joined in "I'll tell the other guys in the team"

"It's not really necessary; I'm giving out the invitations next Monday"

As Lee pronounced that phrase, she could not help but think of all the times she had seen the popular girls or boys in her former schools handing out invitations to everyone… Everyone, that is, except for her and a few more outcasts. She felt a tingle of excitement upon realizing that, for once, that would not be the case.

"You really have to come, Lynette" Mary-Alice told her "It's gonna be great!"


	6. Cool parents, cool kids

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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For those who knew her personally, Stella Wingfield was far from being a conventional woman. One of the main reasons for that was that she was not exactly what you would call a good influence. She used to swear a lot and did not like cooking. Besides, as a single mother, she was often too busy with work to take care of her three daughters. This, though, had an advantage – the girls had grown quite independent and were full of resources, particularly the eldest one, who acted most of the time like the mistress of the house.

When Lynette arrived home from the pizzeria, she found Stella on the couch, drinking a beer and hopping around the channels. She turned her head when she heard her daughter entering the house.

"Where have you been?" she asked casually, more out of curiosity than worry. She knew her girls were clever and would not get into trouble.

"I was at the pizzeria with some friends" Lynette replied, leaving her rucksack on the floor, next to the couch.

"Really? That's good, then"

The girl took a place on the couch, next to her mother, whose eyes were still on the television.

"What are you watching?" Lynette wondered.

"Nothing, just trying to find something worth seeing. Ugh! The news again!" she grimaced and changed the channel.

Lynette rolled her eyes. Seeing that her daughter was still there, Stella looked at her bemusedly.

"Wanna watch something?"

"No. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something"

"If you're going to ask me for money to buy something, it'll have to wait. Still haven't got paid"

"No, it wasn't that"

"Has something happened? Is it bad news?" Stella questioned.

Lynette shook her head.

"It's just that a friend of mine is throwing a party in a couple of weeks and he wants me to be there. I still don't know the day or the time, but it'd be in his place. His parents won't be there, but he doesn't live far away from here"

"So?"

"I was thinking of going" Lynette explained.

"Well, of course!" Stella said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Lynette frowned, a little confused by her mother's attitude.

"You mean I can go?"

"Sure"

"Really?" the girl exclaimed "You're not going to ask me any more questions? Like what kind of friend it is or what we're going to do?"

"Why should I?"

"I just guess you'd want to know…"

"No, not really" Stella shook her head no "To be honest, I don't care. You're already sixteen; you know what you're doing I assume"

"Alright" Lynette sighed "What time should I come back?"

The mother turned her head, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh come on! You're not serious!"

"What do you mean?"

"You're not asking me for a curfew, are you?"

"Well… sort of"

Stella laughed.

"You know what? When I was your age I was always fighting with my parents because of the damn curfews. They're pointless. If you don't have school the day after, you can come whenever you want"

"What?!" Lynette wondered.

Stella shrugged.

"I trust you. You've never given me any reasons to worry. I see nothing wrong in you having some fun"

"I don't get it" Lynette said "So I can just stay there as long as I feel like?"

"Why not? But hey, if it's so difficult for you, you can choose your own curfew. What time were you thinking of?"

"Hmm… my friends have to be home around eleven…"

"What?! Eleven?" Stella interrupted "What kind of people are you hanging out with, nuns? I think I know a little bit about partying, and the fun usually _starts_ after eleven. For fuck's sakes, Lynette! It's the first time you've been invited to a party! Just go there and have fun!"

Lynette raised one eyebrow. As it was indeed the first time, she had been wondering how her mother would take it. No matter how well she knew her, that reaction still surprised her.

"Are you sure?"

"Hell, yes!" Stella nodded "You're all the time alone in your room studying; it's time you had a little bit of fun with your friends"

Although she was not exactly pleased with her mother's indifference, Lynette had to admit that there was a little bit of truth in those words. Maybe it was time for her to stop being so mature and act more according to her age.

"Thank you, mum" she said, standing up from the couch and picking up her backpack from the floor.

Stella observed her bewildered.

"Well, you're welcome… whatever for"

"Hope to see you there!"

Lee handed one of the invitations to his party to a girl as he flung her a charming smile. His back was resting against his locker. When he saw Lynette, who had just walked into the building, he stopped her.

"Hey Lynette!" he held another invitation in front of her eyes "I got something for you"

The blonde took it. He had used colorful paper and markers to write them. She had to admit one thing – the way he had made the invitations was very appealing. She thanked him with a smile before heading for her locker. Mary-Alice, who owned the one next to hers, waved as she padlocked it.

"Are you going in the end?" she pointed to the piece of paper with her head.

Lynette nodded.

"Great! How long are they gonna let you stay out?" her tall friend wanted to know.

"I don't have a curfew" Lynette explained "In fact, my mother pretty much said it was forbidden for me to come before two in the morning"

"How lucky" Mary-Alice sighed "Your mum must be very cool"

She was going to reply when something else distracted her attention. On the other side of the corridor, Susan and Gabby were approaching JK Reilly. Lynette frowned. That was not a good sign.

"Hey Junkie!" Gabrielle greeted, the fake sweetness in her voice could not hide her disdain "How's it going?"

As usual, the outcast ignored her. The latina insisted.

"Lee McDermott is giving out invitations to his party. Why don't you go and see if there's anything for you?"

Susan giggled. JK kept the same attitude, stoically pretending not to see or hear them. She appeared to be so used to that kind of treatment that she did not care anymore.

"Don't be cruel, Gabby" Susan spoke "Lee's parties are for people, not aliens"

Both cheerleaders laughed loudly and went away. Lynette sighed in relief. At least this time they had not been that mean, she thought. If they had gone on for two more minutes, she would have felt the urge to intervene.

"Poor girl" Mary-Alice shook her head.

"I honestly don't get why they treat her like that" Lynette sighed harshly.

"Cheerleaders are always cruel to everyone" the taller girl pointed out.

"I know. But they are especially rude to her. What has she done?" Lynette wondered.

"I guess they simply have it in for her because she's different – and different means weird. There are some really strange things about her though. Once there was the rumor that someone had seen her torturing small animals, like birds and mice. I don't believe that fully, but she certainly has some issues. Her father was in jail, so she probably has a big trauma"

"Her father was in jail?" the blonde wanted to know "Why? What did he do?"

"No-one knows. There are all sorts of theories"

Their conversation was interrupted by the loud sound of the bell. It was time to go to the classroom and start the lessons. The girls picked up their books and walked in, followed by more students. A few moments after they took their places, the teacher arrived.

"Good morning!" Mrs. Greenberg greeted "Today we're going to talk about Prehistory"

"Why don't you tell us something about that time, Mrs. Greenberg? I bet you still remember" Mike Delfino joked from the back of the class.

The whole group, especially those sitting close to him, burst out laughing. Curiously, the cheerleaders were the ones giggling the loudest.

"What? What is it?" the teacher looked up from her book. She clearly hadn't heard the comment.

Of course, no-one replied. They all merely exchanged cheeky grins. Mrs. Greenberg sighed as she stood up from her desk to start writing something on the blackboard. Lee, who was sitting next to Lynette, leaned to the side to whisper something in her ear.

"That's bullshit, she's not from Prehistory. It's clear that she comes from Ancient Rome – that's where she got all the wine!"

Lynette frowned, puzzled. Mary-Alice, who had quite a good hearing, intervened.

"Mrs. Greenberg has a certain reputation" she explained.

Lee made a gesture closing his hand into a fist, and leaving only his thumb and his little finger sticking out. Then he took it to his mouth, as though he was drinking. Lynette observed the woman as she kept on writing. They hadn't had many classes with her, but she always seemed to be in her own world. When she had come to school, that is. Therefore, it was easy to believe that she might be an alcoholic. Sadly, in some way, she reminded Lynette of her own mother.

The blonde took a pen and began copying what was written on the blackboard. A ball of paper hit Mrs. Greenberg on the shoulder, followed by some chuckles from the back of the room. She didn't even bat an eyelash. It was only after a third ball reached her head that the woman turned, looking for who was to blame.

"Who was it?" she questioned, raising her voice, holding the piece of paper in her hand.

Yet the troublemakers were too busy laughing to reply. That upset the lady. She narrowed her eyes and sighed harshly.

"Come on! You know I don't mind the whole class getting detention…"

"Bolen!" Gabrielle Marquez said between giggles.

Bolen turned, glaring at her. Then he gave the teacher his most innocent look.

"It wasn't me, Mrs. Greenberg. McMillan did it"

"No, I didn't!" Peter McMillan protested "Why don't you ask the cheerleaders?"

Susan Bremmer blushed immediately. It was quite obvious that she was guilty. She tried to protest, but nothing would come out of her mouth. Mike Delfino stood up, his hands in the air.

"It was me, Mrs. Greenberg" he confessed "I'm sorry"

The woman looked at him angrily.

"See you today at the detention hall at lunchtime" she said to him.

With his usual smirk, Mike nodded and sat back down. Mrs. Greenberg rolled her eyes and turned her back on the students.

"You're our hero, Delfino" Lynette heard Gabrielle saying.

"It's no big deal" Mike winked at her "Five detentions in three weeks! I think that my record!"

The blonde shook her head. Knowing what she was thinking, Bree whispered:

"Yes, he's an idiot"


	7. Friday Night at Lee's

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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"I think we're just in time" Bree said, running a hand through her red hair, which she was wearing loose, before knocking at the door.

Lynette had a look around herself and she couldn't help feeling envious. The garden was much better taken care of than hers and the house seemed pretty big. They even had their own swimming pool, which was at the moment covered, as it was too cold to swim. A few seconds later, Lee opened the door.

"Come in!" he welcomed them in a singing tone.

He was wearing a tight black shirt with short sleeves and dark jeans, in which he looked very chick. His figure was very well emphasized by that outfit. Actually, all of them were quite elegant that evening. Both Bree and Mary-Alice were wearing dresses; the former's was green, matching her high-heeled shoes; the latter was dressed in white and her shoes were flat – for obvious reasons. Lynette wished she had chosen something a bit fancier than the long skirt and the tight jumper she had on. Paul, who was standing behind Bree and Lynette, his arm linked with his girlfriend's, used his free hand to wave at Lee.

"Punctual as usual" the host giggled "You've been the first ones to arrive once again"

"All the other guys in the team said they were coming" Paul replied "But you know them; they'll probably be late"

"I know. And I do appreciate you guys for being the only ones who have the guts to go to a party on time"

"Blame it on Bree" Mary-Alice teased, earning a playful glare from her friend.

Lee's eyes rested on Lynette for a moment.

"Aaaw, I'm so glad you've come!"

"Of course! I'm sure it's going to be great" she beamed.

The truth was that she was still very nervous on the inside. After all, it was her first party ever. She had no idea what to say or how to behave. Therefore, she chose the wisest solution – observing the others and doing the same. She followed her four friends to a table full of snacks and drinks. In the middle, there was a glass bowl with a dark red liquid and some pieces of fruit.

"What's that?" she asked Lee.

"Oh, it's called sangria" he replied proudly "It's Spanish. I figured it'd be fun to have something exotic. Wanna have some?"

"No, I think I'll just have some lemonade" she handed him the glass with a shy smile.

"Healthy girl!" he chuckled "Well, the alcohol is more for the popular gang. They don't feel that cool if they don't drink anything that intoxicating"

As Lee poured some lemonade to her, she had a look around. Mary-Alice, Bree and Paul were all having soft drinks.

_Thank god…_

"No, we don't drink either" Mary-Alice seemed to read her mind.

"No, thanks" Bree grimaced "I wouldn't want to make a fool of myself"

That made her smile. She was not that much of a weirdo, after all.

"Excuse me, I still have some arrangements to make" Lee announced.

While Lee turned the music on and took care of the last arrangements for the party, the group of friends stayed chatting cheerfully by the table.

"It'll get better later" Bree told Lynette "The others are never punctual"

"Unless you're close to the host, no-one wants to be the first at a party, Bree" Mary-Alice pointed out.

As the two of them had their little discussion, Lynette glanced at Paul. She thought it'd be nice to get to know him a little bit, so she began searching for a topic to make conversation.

"You're not drinking alcohol either" she observed.

Paul shook his head.

"I thought you had to drink to be a cool kid" she giggled a little nervously.

"I guess that's a compliment" he responded with a chuckle "But I'm a sportsman; I'd like to get a scholarship next year, so I have to keep myself fit"

"I understand" she nodded "Sporty people have to be healthy"

"Well, we're supposed to, but that doesn't prevent some guys in the team to get wasted whenever they go out" Paul rolled his eyes "But well, you'll see that later"

Lynette took the plastic glass to her lips. The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversations for a moment. Lee ran to open.

"Oh, look who's here! My two favourite class representatives!"

Two girls, who were standing on the other side of the door, were greeted very effusively by Lee. Lynette recognized one of them – Maisy Gibbons, their class representative. The other one, a bit taller and dark-haired, was introduced to her shortly after.

"Lynette, this is Carolyn Bigsby, Group A's representative. She's with me and Bree in the school choir"

Little by little, the rest of the guests arrived. Almost an hour had gone by when the first cheerleaders and athletes made their appearance. Out of the corner of her eye, Lynette saw Lee greeting Gabrielle, Susan and another cheerleader named Annabel. Yet she didn't care much about them. She was entertained having a nice conversation with her _friends_.

"I think I'm gonna be president of the cooking club this year" Bree commented proudly "The girl who was president last year is a friend of mine, and she said she was going to quit this year"

"Well, I don't think you have many rivals" Paul laughed "How many members are there? Three? Four?"

The redhead smacked her friend's boyfriend playfully on the shoulder.

"I didn't know we had a cooking club" Lynette said.

"Oh, we sure do!" Bree beamed enthusiastically "You'll always see us selling self-made cookies and muffins at school parties"

"And you, Lynette? Are you planning on joining any clubs this term?" Mary-Alice wondered.

"I hadn't thought about it, but it sounds fun" she answered "Are you in any?"

"I was in the writing club last year" she explained "And I'm probably going to join them again this year; it was great fun"

"Do you write?"

The taller girl nodded.

"Yes. I love writing short stories, and sometimes poems" she blushed after saying the last word.

"That's nice!" Lynette grinned "I'm not that creative"

At that moment, the music changed, and so did Mary-Alice's expression. She glanced at her boyfriend, pouting a little.

"I love this song!"

Knowing what it meant, Paul smiled and offered her his arm.

"Let's go for a dance, then!"

The couple joined other people in the middle of the room, which Lee had emptied to use it as a dance floor, and began moving to the rhythm of the music. Bree and Lynette still stood close to the snack table, observing them.

"Aw, aren't they cute?" Bree squealed.

"They are!" Lynette agreed.

"She'll never admit it, but she really likes him" Bree told the blonde "I hope they'll make it official soon"

"They look quite official to me, actually"

"Not completely" Bree informed "He asked her out a couple of months ago, but they've only gone on five dates or so"

"I see" Lynette nodded, her eyes still fix on the couple "How did they actually met?"

The redhead's eyes had the same sparkle as Lee's usually had when he gossiped. She clearly loved sharing that story.

"It was in fact at one of Lee's parties! He had a pool party in midsummer and both of them were there"

"But I thought footballers only dated cheerleaders…"

"Paul is different. He's a very nice guy"

Not far away from them, a group of footballers were watching the same scene. As Paul and Mary-Alice danced their way closer to them, they all started cheering immediately.

"Hey, Young! What's with keeping your hands off your girlfriend? This is not a convent!" Karl Mayer, the superstar quarterback, shouted.

All his friends laughed at the comment, while Bree shook her head in disapproval. Lynette realized that Susan Bremmer was standing next to Karl, his arm around her shoulder as usual.

"I wanna dance too!" she said.

For a moment, Karl seemed to freeze. It was plain to see that he didn't like the idea too much. Nevertheless, he put on a smile.

"Well, if my Suzy-Q wants to dance, my Suzy-Q will get a dance" he smirked as he led his girlfriend to the dance floor.

"Gosh, I really don't know how any girl could go out with such a brainless pig" Bree whispered into Lynette's ear, making her giggle a little.

"Same here"

Lee, who had been busy greeting new guests, managed to squeeze a moment to join his friends.

"What's up, girls?" he asked cheerfully, placing himself between them and putting his arms around their shoulders.

"Just having a look at the dancers" Lynette responded.

"They're so cute!" Lee exclaimed, watching Paul and Mary-Alice, who were kissing at that instant "What about you two, are you having a good time?"

"Definitely" Bree and Lynette said in unison.

"Great!"

After one more song, the couple left the dance floor.

"Guys, all I can say is aaaaaaaaaww" Lee said as they got closer to them.

Both of them blushed immediately. That made all three friends let out an even bigger 'aaaaw'.

"Hey, Young" Karl shouted "Feel her up!"

"Shut up, Mayer!" Paul yelled back, laughing.

Suddenly, Bree's eyes widened.

"Oh my god! Tell me that's not who I think it is!" she exclaimed.

All the rest of the group followed her gaze. A posh-looking boy was kissing a blonde girl, their friends surrounding them.

"Oops… sorry" Lee winced "He arrived ten minutes ago or so. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Bree"

"I didn't even know he was invited" the redhead sighed "God, this is so awkward! Why did he have to bring his stuck-up girlfriend?"

"Who is it?" Lynette wanted to know.

"Ty, Bree's ex" Mary-Alice informed "I didn't know he was dating Tish though"

"I did. She's exactly the reason why we broke up. Well, I don't know why I said break up… he wasn't even my boyfriend"

"Oh, I'm sorry, hon" Mary-Alice rubbed Bree's shoulder.

"Can we go home?" Bree asked "It's almost eleven anyway"

Paul and Mary-Alice looked at each other. Finally, she spoke.

"I have to go soon too, so that's fine with me"

"And I'll go with you girls" Paul offered.

"Oh, come on!" Lee begged "It's still early! You can't leave yet!"

"Lee, you know we can't stay much longer" Bree retorted.

The host pouted. Then he set his eyes on Lynette, questioning her with his look.

"Are you staying at least?"

The blonde bit her bottom lip.

"Er… I don't know"

"Please!" Lee took her hand "Didn't your mum tell you to stay until late? It's gonna be fun!"

Lynette considered all her options for a moment. On the one hand, she thought she'd better go home; her best friends were leaving, so it didn't make much sense to stay. On the other hand, it could be her chance to meet new people and integrate a little bit better.

"I stay" she said in the end.

"Yes!" Lee cheered.

"In that case, have fun!" Mary-Alice smiled.

Bree nodded in agreement.

"Hope you enjoy the rest of the party!"

"See you guys on Monday!" Paul joined in.

After showing them out, Lynette felt the urge to go to the toilet. Luckily, Lee had been thoughtful enough to place signs indicating the way. She locked the door behind herself and freshened up for a while. As she was there, she heard familiar voices outside.

"It's occupied" one of them said.

"Oh, ok" the other one replied.

"This party is awesome, isn't it? It's like Lee's best party ever"

Lynette recognized them quickly – Susan Bremmer and Gabrielle Marquez.

"It'd be even better if Mike Delfino was here" Bremmer commented "Do you think he'll come?"

"Sure thing. I don't think he'd miss it"

Susan sighed.

"Too bad he'll probably bring that redneck girlfriend of his"

"Hey, you bitch!" Gabrielle protested "You already have a boyfriend of your own! Let someone else have him"

"I know, I know. But he's so hot!"

"I know, right!" the latina agreed "But you already have Karl, so this one is for me, missy"

Lynette came out of the toilet, interrupting their exchange. Both of them seemed a bit embarrassed, but decided to act naturally.

"Hey, Lynnie!" the smaller one greeted "Nice skirt!"

"Yeah, you look cool" Susan smiled to her "We didn't know you were friends with Lee"

"Hum, yeah" she replied "He's nice"

"Lee is awesome" Gabby commented "You see everyone likes him"

"It's hard not to" Lynette shrugged.

"You're so right!"

Then all three stayed silent, staring at each other. Those seconds felt quite uncomfortable.

"Well, then… see you around" Susan told her as she went into the toilet.

Once she was out of their sight, she rolled her eyes. Just a few phrases had reminded her how glad she was to have found Bree and Mary-Alice instead of hanging out with the cheerleaders. When she walked into the living-room, where everyone was, she noticed that the room was even more crowded than before. Apparently, Gabby and Susan's prayers had been answered – Mike Delfino and his cool clique had just arrived. There was also no sign of Angie Vitale, and the reason for that was greeting Lee at that very instant.

"Glad you finally made it, Edie" he hi-fived her.

Delfino was soon surrounded by a group of girls who quite obviously fancied him. He, though, seemed to enjoy the attention. The rest of the group consisted of two more boys and two more girls. Out of them, Lynette only knew Peter McMillan, who was also in her class. The other guy, who Lynette had assumed to be Mike's best friend after seeing them hanging together at school most of the time, gave Lee a pound. He was well-built and judging by his skin tone and his dark hair he seemed to be a latino. A fat, though tall girl was standing next to him. Her outfit and make-up made it clear that she listened to metal music. It was a stark contrast between her and the other girl in the group, who was very skinny and visibly drunk, which made her look even more fragile. Her hippie-esque, slutty clothes made her think immediately of Angie Vitale, but her hair was dark instead of dirty blonde.

"Lynette, I don't know if you know them" Lee motioned with his hand, telling her to come closer "These are Carlos Solis, Lucy Blackburn and Nora Huntington. They're all in group A"

"Hi" she greeted them.

"Where's the bathroom?" Nora asked in a whiny voice "I think I'm gonna be sick"

"First room on the left hand-side" Lee replied before turning to Lynette again "And this is Edie Britt"

"Nice to meet you" Lynette said shyly. After having seen Britt fighting against Vitale in the schoolyard, she had to admit that she was a little afraid of her.

While Nora staggered to the bathroom, Lynette had a look at the clique she was with at the moment. They all looked rather scary; probably they would have been the last friends she had ever chosen. She usually ran away from those tough, cool kids. They tended to be bullies or junkies, and she knew that was not good company. However, she cast her eyes all over the room. The only person she ever had something to do with was Lee. As the cheerleaders stood in a circle, gossiping and giggling loudly, Karl Mayer and the rest of the footballers seemed to have a competition to see who could drink more beer. The remaining girls had clearly taking advantage of Vitale's absence and were surrounding Mike Delfino, who, in spite of his TV-smile, seemed to be getting slightly annoyed. There was not much more she could do.

"You wanna come with us outside, Lynette?" Lee asked her.

Seeing that there was no other alternative, she followed them to the garden. The air was a bit chilly, but it felt nice after the heat inside Lee's house.

"We got some ganja" Edie announced.

"I know I can always trust you on that" Lee chuckled.

As soon as she heard the word ganja, Lynette felt a shiver of disgust. She hated drugs and people who used them.

_Well done, Lynette. You just joined the smoking gang. _

Lucy, the big girl, took some cigarette paper from her pocket and a small plastic bag. Edie gave her a cigarette so that she could mix in some tobacco. Lynette just watched them form the joint, already feeling sick. She looked away and gazed into Lee's home through the glass door leading to the garden. The panorama was pretty much the same as before. Now that she had gone outside with them, they'd probably find it odd if she went back in.

Edie took the joint to her mouth and lit it, as she took a long drag. She then exhaled slowly before handing it to Carlos.

"So you're the new one?" he asked Lynette "I've seen you around with Lee"

"Yeah, we hang out together" Lee answered.

Lynette simply nodded in agreement, not really knowing what to say. Nevertheless, she didn't need to speak, as Lee quickly kept the conversation alive.

"What happened to Angie?" he wanted to know.

"Dude, you know you can't mix these two" Carlos smirked, pointing at Edie.

"She knows if she brought her ass over here, she'd get it kicked" the blonde completed "No, just kidding. She's sick"

"Does she know that her dear boyfriend is partying without her?" Lee questioned as he took the joint Carlos was offering him.

"Probably not"

With shock, Lynette saw her friend puffing. That made her hate him a little on the inside. Once he was done, it was her turn, so he handed her the joint.

"No!" she rejected it.

"Not good enough for you, missy?" Lucy mocked "Or are you afraid?"

Lynette swallowed, the smell making her feel slightly dizzy.

"What are you, a kindergartner?" Lucy continued.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Edie intervened "If she doesn't feel like, she doesn't"

Lee shrugged and gave Lucy, who was standing at the other side of Lynette's, the joint. The blonde felt relieved that someone had sided with her. She was already afraid that they would all start making fun of her.

"Gosh, Edie! Straight to my head" Lee said "That shit was strong!"

"What do you think, dude? We're only into the good stuff" Lucy exhaled some smoke rings "Where the hell is Nora? Has she fallen down the potty or what?"

The circle was over, so she returned the joint to Edie and walked inside to look for Nora. Lynette noticed that she wasn't able to walk too straight anymore.

"She's already tipsy, isn't she?" Lee commented.

"I'd say a little more than that" Carlos answered "We had some booze before coming here, so the gals here are already pretty dizzy"

"Don't count me in!" Edie retorted "I'm a bit tougher than those two"

Carlos shook his head playfully. Someone else joined them unexpectedly. It was a sporty, handsome boy with dark hair and blue eyes. Lynette would have sworn that Lee's face lit up at the sight of him.

"Hey, Lee!" the boy said "Can you come for a second? I… um… need your help with something"

"Oh, sure thing" Lee smiled "Excuse me"

So Lynette was left alone with two people she didn't really know, a joint and no conversation topic. A part of herself prayed for Lee to come back soon from whatever he was helping the other guy with.

"Those two give me the creeps" Edie smirked.

The latino responded with a nod and a chuckle.

"You bet"

Carlos one more drag of the joint and threw it to the ground. Lynette frowned. She would have like to give him a whole speech why he shouldn't have done that, but instead, something from the back of her mind resurfaced.

_Come on, Lynette! You promised yourself you'd be more open-minded. Don't start judging them so soon_. _Lee was smoking too and he's your friend, right?_

She felt that it was her turn to make conversation, so she asked the first thing that came to her mind.

"So you guys are in group A, huh?"

"Yups. Also known as idiot-land" Edie replied.

"Absafeckinlutely" Carlos agreed "You're actually talking to the two only normal people in the class"

They both started laughing. Lynette forced herself to join them, although she didn't even know exactly where the joke was.

"You're with Lee, ain't you?" Carlos wanted to know.

"No, we're just friends"

Edie and Carlos burst out laughing. That made Lynette blush slightly. She was glad that it was so dark and they couldn't see it.

"He didn't mean that, silly. He meant at school" Edie explained.

"Oh. Well, yeah"

"Trust me, we know he's not dating you" Carlos assured her.

"Yeah, we know he has no girlfriend" Edie smiled knowingly.

"No, at least he hasn't mentioned that" Lynette commented "Probably if he had one, he would have already told the whole school"

Carlos grinned broadly.

"I see you know him very well. That's so Lee!"

"Yeah, he's not what you'd call an expert in keeping secrets"

"I've realized that" Lynette smiled back at them.

Carlos stared at his new acquaintance through his big brown eyes, studying her. Lynette didn't look away from him. It occurred to her that he was quite attractive; she saw more reasons to be into him than into that Delfino boy.

"Where are you from?" he wondered.

"Hmm, everywhere" she replied.

"What do you mean, everywhere?"

"My family moves around a lot" she explained "And you?"

"I was born here, but my family is from Mexico"

"Just in case that wasn't obvious, guacamole" Edie teased.

He rolled his eyes and smacked her shoulder playfully. The tomboyish blonde was going to take revenge when something distracted her attention.

"Hey! Is that Nora?"

Lynette and Carlos looked inside the house. A wasted Nora was trying to dance on the snack table. Trying was the keyword, for she was too wasted to coordinate. A group of onlookers stood around the table, cheering and clapping their hands. After a short while, another girl, who was probably just as drunk, joined her.

"What's Marquez doing there?"

"Oh. My. God!" Edie exclaimed, guffawing "Looks like someone has had a few too many sangrias"

"Where's Lee? Shouldn't we tell him to get them down before they break something?" Carlos suggested.

"Wait!" Edie grabbed his arm to stop him from going anywhere "I want to see which one falls to the floor first"

The three of them walked inside. Snacks and drinks were all over the place. At least Lee had been clever enough to use plastic plates, Lynette thought. They joined the loud crowd and contemplated the two drunken dancers from a bit closer. Neither of them could move properly anymore, but that didn't prevent their spectators from being enormously entertained.

"Yeah, Marquez, that's an ass!" Karl Mayer shouted. Yet seeing his girlfriend's angry glare, he shrugged casually and corrected himself "Well, it's still not as nice as my Suzy-Q's!"

Lynette felt that the party was getting slightly out of control. She had been enjoying it, but she was already getting tired. Besides, all her friends were gone, so she thought she should get going. She decided to search for Lee and say goodbye.

After checking the bathroom and some other rooms, she found him standing by a door, as though he was guarding something. He startled a little as she came.

"Oh, hey, Lynette! What's up? Having fun?"

"Yes, it's been a great party. But I think I'm gonna go home now" she informed him.

Lee pouted.

"Aaaw, are you sure? It's not that late yet…"

"I know, but I should go now" she repeated "Thanks for inviting me"

"Thanks to you for coming" he smiled "Who's walking you home?"

"Erm, no-one" Lynette replied "I'm going on my own"

"Oh, no, absolutely not" Lee shook his head "Come on, we'll find someone who goes there with you"

"I'm fine, seriously" she insisted.

"Better safe than sorry" he said as he linked arms with her and lead her to the living-room "Oh, crap!" he grimaced when he saw the show that was going on there.

Either way, he walked up to Carlos and poked his arm.

"Lynette wants to go home; could you walk her there while I stay here and take care of this mess?"

The strong latino nodded. Lee thanked him and elbowed his way through the crowd to convince the girls to come back down from the table.

"Let's go, then" Carlos told Lynette.

The cool air of the night outside hit her face. Once they were a few steps away from the door, Lynette let out a sigh.

"You really don't have to come with me" she said to Carlos "I always go everywhere on my own; I'm used to it"

"Well, if you're a girl, it's not a good idea to walk alone on the streets at night" Carlos explained "Nothing serious has ever happened here, but you never know. I never let my sisters go anywhere on their own, especially when it's dark"

"I see. Well, I understand that. I'd never let my sisters do that either"

The way back to Lynette's was not too long; scarcely ten minutes later, they were already by her door. On the inside, after having been at Lee's place, she felt slightly embarrassed that Carlos had to see her house. He, nevertheless, didn't make any comments.

"Thank you" she said.

"It was no big deal" he smiled "Goodnight. See you around at school"

She waved at him from the doorstep before getting in.


	8. The challenge

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………**..**

Lee's party didn't help Lynette to become more popular among the other students. Edie and her gang seemed to have forgotten even talking to her, except for Carlos, who sometimes waved at her when they ran into each other in the corridors. Provided he was alone, of course. Cheerleaders kept pretty much ignoring her, unless it was Lee and her. However, she didn't mind. She had had the chance to party for the first time in her life; even more important, it had been her first party _with friends_. There was no reason not to be happy.

"Are you coming to the pizzeria today?" Bree asked her, as she had a bite of the apple she had picked up in the canteen.

"Sure"

"We're having a school newspaper meeting" Mary-Alice explained "But you can be there too, it doesn't matter. Maybe you can join us"

"Sounds good" Lynette smiled.

"We still need someone who writes the horoscopes" Lee commented "We had to kick Sylvia Greene out because she started using them to threaten other people"

"Once she had a disagreement with me and wrote that everyone who was my sign would get stabbed" Bree winced.

Lee and Mary-Alice laughed, remembering that moment.

"What a weirdo!"

"I don't know whether horoscopes would be my thing, but I think I'd like to help you guys with the newspaper. Is there anything else I could do?"

"Hmm, probably" Lee replied "But I don't know, we'll talk about it later in the pizzeria"

"We should tell the rest" Bree pointed out.

"True! I'll go tell them right now"

Lee stood up and searched the rest of the team in the schoolyard and inside the building. Lynette, Bree and Mary-Alice kept sitting in their usual spot on the staircase.

"Time for some girl talk!" Bree exclaimed cheerfully "So, Mary-Alice, how are things going with Paul?"  
The blonde rolled her eyes, blushing slightly.

"Fine" was her answer.

"Only fine or really well?" Bree insisted.

Mary-Alice looked down, a little embarrassed. Her lips, though, were curled in a smile.

"He asked me again if I want to be his girlfriend"

Both Bree and Lynette gasped.

"And what did you say?" Bree wondered excitedly.

"Nothing yet"

"What do you mean nothing yet?" Bree scolded her playfully "The answer is yes!"

"He said he'd give me some time to think about it" Mary-Alice explained.

"What's there to think about?" Bree squeaked "You make such a nice couple? Lynette, help me convince her!"

"It's true!" Lynette backed with a smile "I saw you guys dancing at Lee's, and you looked really in love"

Mary-Alice blushed even more because of that comment. She brushed some strands of hair away from her face nervously.

"Well, we like each other a lot…"

Luckily for her, the girly talk was interrupted at that instant by Lee's arrival.

"I've spoken to them. They're coming as well"

"Great! It's already high time we started publishing" Bree said.

The bell reminded them that the break was over, so they all stood up and began making their way back to the classroom.

"What class do we have now?" Lynette wanted to know.

"Erm…" Mary-Alice looked at her timetable "Literature"

"Oh, so we have good old McCluskey" Lee remarked.

After picking up their books, they went upstairs and walked into the first room on the left. Mrs. McCluskey was already there, clearing the blackboard.

"Come in, sit down" she welcomed them "And let's hope our dear cheerleaders have the decency of being punctual this time so we can start"

As usual, it took about five minutes until all the students were there, occupying their places. They began the lesson by correcting their homework, which consisted of a comment on the book they had read in the previous two weeks. After that, Mrs. McCluskey cleared her throat to make an announcement to the class.

"My dear students" she said, adopting an overly dramatic tone "I've got some news for you. The term has advanced considerably, which means…"

"Oh, no, please, not another exam!" Bolen complained "We had one like three weeks ago!"

"Hey, calm down!" she snapped "No exam for now. What I'm talking about is the traditional final-year literature project"

"A project?" Gabrielle exclaimed in a whiny voice.

"Yes, Marquez, a project. You know, a piece of written work about a particular topic" she spoke to the whole class again "In this case, it's creative writing. Creative, which means you have to write it yourselves. No copying from your older siblings, right, McMillan?"

Peter McMillan sighed harshly. With a pleased expression on her face, the teacher continued explaining what the project consisted of.

"You'll have to write your own book. It can be any gender you like – sci-fi, romance, adventures – and you can write about anything you want, as long as it's a novel. Lists of names, comic books or thousand-page-long opinion articles are absolute no-nos. It needs to have a story"

"Can it be a play?" Betty Applewhite enquired.

"It can" Mrs. McCluskey answered "And you can also add pictures if you like, but there has to be more text than images. For instance, if the book has a hundred pages, at least seventy-five have to be written" she realized that someone at the back of the classroom had just raised his hand "Yes, Delfino?"

"How many pages must it have?"

"I was thinking at least fifty"

Most of the students gasped. Protests were heard all over the room.

"Fifty pages?" Susan exclaimed "Who can write so much?"

"Do names like William Faulkner or Mark Twain ring a bell to you? Otherwise I'd better quit my job. For God's sakes, use your imagination, Bremmer! I'm sure you can do much more with that pretty head of yours than wearing ponytails"

The cheerleader crossed her arms before her chest and frowned. Mrs. McCluskey ignored her reaction and spoke on.

"Let's see, where was I? Oh, yes! You'll have to base your work on an existing book or following an author's or time's style. But please, be original – I don't want to read twenty five different versions of _The Catcher in the Rye_. And no copying. It has to be your own story. Apart from that, you'll also add a short composition, not more than three pages, in which you explain what you based your book on and why"

"But that's a lot!" Maisy Gibbons whined.

"Don't worry, Gibbons – you have until the end of the year to work on it" McCluskey comforted her "Besides, you'll work in pairs. So there's no excuse. Note that if you don't hand this in, you'll automatically fail this course. Oh, and in order to avoid unnecessary drama and organizational problems, I've made the groups myself"

The students exchanged worried looks. Mrs. McCluskey picked up a notebook from her desk and began reading the list.

"Betty Applewhite and Nick Bolen, Susan Bremmer and Mike Delfino"

Susan blushed like crazy when she heard who her partner was going to be. The color on her face became even more intense when he smiled to her.

"Maisy Gibbons and Peter McMillan, Orson Hodge and Tom Scavo"

The two nerds on the first row hi-fived each other. Meanwhile, the list continued.

"Bree Mason and Mary-Alice Young…"

"At least we've been lucky" Mary-Alice smiled to her new co-writer.

"Yeah" Bree nodded "You'll probably get Lee" she added into Lynette's ear.

"Lee McDermott and Gabrielle Marquez…" the teacher announced.

"Shit!" Lee murmured underneath his breath "I like her very much, but she's so bad at grammar…"

Lynette raised her eyebrow. She hadn't been named yet. She was going to raise her hand when McCluskey exclaimed:

"Oh, I'm sorry – looks like I forgot a pair. Lynette Lindquist will work with…"

_That's odd. If I'm not getting Lee, who's gonna be my partner?_

"… JK Reilly"

It was hard to say which one of the students looked most shocked. Except for Reilly, who had her usual poker face on, everyone had something to remark.

"God, that's so cruel!" Gabrielle whispered with a giggle "Poor Lynnie!"

"No way!" Bree exclaimed.

"She's got to be kidding!"

_Oh my god! What's gonna happen now? Calm down, it was the teacher's choice, not yours. No-one's gonna think you're befriending the outcast. But what if they do? Will they ostracize me as well?_

"No matter how unsatisfied you might be with your partner, let me all remind you that I'm not going to make any changes" McCluskey informed "The pairs will stay like this until the end of the year. And you'll have a lot of work to do, so you better start as soon as possible"

A thousand ideas were running through Lynette's head. How would her friends react? Would that be the end of her social life? But more than that, she was afraid of that Reilly girl. After all the weird stories she had heard, she didn't know what to think.

"Don't worry about it, Lynette" Mary-Alice calmed her down while they moved on to the next classroom "You won't have to see her that often. You'll just have to talk to her a couple of times to decide how you're gonna share the work"

Bree, nevertheless, was a lot more alarmed.

"You have to ask McCluskey to get you a new partner! Or let you write the project on your own!"

"I can't, Bree" Lynette retorted "She said she wouldn't make any more changes"

"Well, there's no harm in trying" Lee suggested, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh my god, you poor thing!" Gabby intervened randomly "I had to do something with her in Art last year, but I told the teacher that we lived too far away from each other and couldn't meet. Maybe it works with McCluskey too" she added with a smile that had a little bit of malice to it.

"And if it doesn't work, you can always put a bag on her head so people won't recognize her" Susan giggled "If I were you, I wouldn't want to be seen with that freak, even if it was only doing something for school"

As she walked into the classroom, Lynette had a look at Reilly, who was already inside. She always sat on one of the first rows close to the door, isolated. No-one wanted to sit close to her; the closest people in the room were Tom and Orson, who were at least four seats away from her. Surprisingly, Lynette realized that the goth was staring into her direction. For the first time since the beginning of the semester, they locked eyes. Reilly narrowed hers. Lynette could read absolutely nothing in her expression. She wasn't sure whether she was indifferent, scared or simply lost in her thoughts. She moved her eyes away from her soon-to-be co-writer and concentrated on the lesson, the last she had on that day.

The time until the doorbell rang seemed to last forever. All the students stampeded out of the building, happy to finally go back home. Lynette and her friends met by Mary-Alice's locker, which was next to Lynette's, after putting their books away.

"So… pizzeria?" Lee said cheerfully.

"Sure!" Bree replied.

"You guys go first, I'll meet you in a couple of minutes there" Lynette announced.

"Why that?"

The blonde sighed as she put the key to her padlock in her pocket.

"I've been thinking about what you guys said, and I've decided that I'm gonna ask McCluskey to let me write the project on my own"

"Good luck!" Bree wished her.

"See you in a few, then" Mary-Alice patted her shoulder in a friendly way.

Lynette watched them leave before running upstairs to McCluskey's office. It was closed, but it probably wouldn't be long till the teacher arrived. While she waited, something came to her mind.

_Why are you doing this? Weren't you the one who got so upset when you saw the cheerleaders making fun of that Reilly girl? Now you're doing the same! _

She shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts away. Yet she couldn't get rid of the feeling of guilt that was taking over her.

_Give her a chance. It's just homework, after all. Remember what Mary-Alice said – you'll just have to meet her once or twice to plan what you're going to do. She can't be that bad._

She had a look at her watch. More than five minutes had gone by and there was no trace of Mrs. McCluskey. Perhaps it was a sign.

_You used to be an outcast too, have you forgotten? Wouldn't you have wanted someone to be nice to you even if it was only because they had to work with you?_

She knew the answer. Therefore, she picked up her rucksack from the floor and left, ready to join her friends.

"What did she say in the end?" Bree asked, full of curiosity.

"No luck" Lynette lied "She said that it was too much work for just one person, so I have to do it with her"

The redhead winced. Lee, who was always good at lighting up the mood, decided to change the subject.

"So, where were we?" he began, a bit louder than usual "I'll keep being in charge of the gossip section. You, Mona, will still do the interviews…"

"No-one could do it as she does" Mary-Alice whispered into Lynette's ear "She annoys them until she gets the information she needs"

The comment made Lynette smile. A platinum blonde boy who was sitting next to Lee intervened:

"I think I can still do the sports section" he said.

"Thanks, Dave" Lee beamed, as he took the notes in his tiny notepad "Then we have Mary-Alice's problem page, Bree's culture agenda, my gossip column, Mona's interviews, sports… We still need someone to take care of the general news, comic stripes and the infamous horoscopes"

"Peter McMillan is very good at drawing" Mona commented "Maybe he could do the comic stripes"

"Hmm, I'll list him as possible" Lee responded "Oh, and maybe I can talk Annabel Foster into doing some fashion section"

"I don't mind doing the general news" Mary-Alice offered "But I think that'd be too much for only one person"

"Lynette could help you" Lee suggested "If she wants to, of course"

"Yeah, I don't mind" Lynette nodded.

"Excellent" Lee smirked "If Peter accepts, we only have to find someone who writes the horoscopes"

"I've heard Angie Vitale is into that kind of stuff" Dave pointed out.

"Can she even write?" Lee joked "Well, it's fine for now. We'll meet next Wednesday to see what we've got. If we haven't found someone for the horoscopes and so on by then, we'll write them together"

"My friend Helen Rowland said she'd like to participate too" Mona chimed in "She couldn't come today though"

"That's already something. Tell her to come next Wednesday" Lee said, as he took a note of her name and closed his pad "Ok, and now… pizza time!"


	9. The bright side

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………**..**

_DUE TO PERSONAL PROBLEMS, PROFESSOR ROY BENDER WILL BE ABSENT FOR UNKNOWN TIME. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE._

The sign at the door of the Math classroom left no doubt. Mary-Alice sighed.

"No Math today, then. We got up early for nothing"

"Look on the bright side – we can use this hour to have some fun or catch up with other courses" Lee suggested.

"But what can have happened to Mr. Bender?" the tall blonde wondered "He always seems pretty healthy"

"He must have had an accident in bed with Mrs. McCluskey" Lee giggled "There's a rumor that they're having an affair"

"Ugh, Lee!" Bree exclaimed, disgusted "Don't be so morbid!"

"I guess it'll take a while until they find a substitute" Mary-Alice ran a hand through her hair.

"What shall we do now?" Lynette asked.

"Hmm, too bad the rest of the team are in Group A" the boy commented "Otherwise we could start getting to work on the newspaper"

"Actually, that's a good idea" Mary-Alice backed "My part is finished, so we could start seeing if there's anything to change and so on. This way, there won't be that much work to do tomorrow"

Every second Thursday, the Fairview High newspaper team met to discuss their new number and put their contributions together. Lynette and her three friends walked along the corridor on the school cellar, where the press room was. Lee, who was the new editor in chief, took the keys out of his pocket and opened. The girls followed him. Lynette looked around herself with curiosity. It was the first time ever she had been in such a room. The smell of paper and ink filled her nose immediately. In the middle of the tiny place, there was a table. All four sat around it, Lee presiding.

"So, what have we got?" he smiled.

Before answering, Mary-Alice went outside the room and checked a small letter box. It seemed to be empty.

"I only got three letters this time" she announced, taking a sheet of paper from her folder "Here are the replies"

Lee examined what his friend had written. After a couple of minutes, he commented:

"Great job, as usual. But this is very little. I don't think this will fill a whole page. We need to add something else"

"I know it doesn't really have anything to do with the problem page, but I could add a recipe" Bree suggested.

"Recipes? On a student newspaper?" Lee raised his eyebrow.

"Well, many magazines have recipes" Bree defended herself "Besides, we could put easy recipes for teenagers"

"Hmm, that's an idea" Lee admitted "But I think that fits better in your section"

Lynette thought for a second. Something occurred to her.

"I know what we could do!" she said "Last week, Mona suggested having a section to which anyone who feels like can send something they made themselves. Like a creative corner"

"That sounds good!" Lee approved "But no-one sent anything"

"Well, as it's the first number, we could put an ad for the new section"

"Hey, great idea!" Bree exclaimed.

"In that case, let's vote. Who wants a creative corner?" Lee asked, while all of them raised their hands "Ok, it's official. Now we just need someone to design the ad"

"Bree has a good handwriting, she could do it" Mary-Alice said.

The redhead nodded. Lee's smile became broader.

"Then it's set. It's always good to work with you, ladies" his mocked politeness made them laugh "How much time have we got?"

"We have Biology in twenty minutes" Lynette replied.

"Ew, lab work! I hate it!" Bree grimaced.

"No, not yet. We're only starting next week" Mary-Alice reminded her.

"Thank god!" Bree sighed in relief "Let's hope Mr. Mullins lets us choose our lab partners, not like Mrs. McCluskey"

"Hey!" Mary-Alice protested "I don't think you have a reason to complain, missy"

"Of course not! I was talking about poor Lynette"

The blonde swallowed. For some days, she had forgotten about the infamous project. Whenever she was reminded of the fact that she would have to work with JK Reilly, she felt a shiver down her spine.

"Speaking of which, have you started writing yet?" Mary-Alice asked her.

Lynette shook her head.

"And you guys?"

"No, me neither" Lee explained "We've agreed that Gabby will help me choose the source of inspiration and plan the story. Let's see what she comes up with" he rolled his eyes.

"And in return?" Mary-Alice questioned, raising her eyebrows and tilting her head to the side.

"What vision do you have of me?" Lee exclaimed, playfully offended.

"Come on, Lee!" Mary-Alice chuckled "It's hard to make you do your homework; you want us to believe that you've honestly volunteered to do all the work just because?"

"Alright, you caught me" Lee smiled sheepishly "She's gonna contribute to the gossip section. She'll be my spy amongst the cheerleaders"

"Wow, that's quite generous. I'm sure you'll get a lot to write from her" Mary-Alice admitted.

"And you girls, have you started working on your project?" Lynette wanted to know.

Bree nodded.

"We've started organizing it. I'm choosing three books and Mary-Alice is choosing three more. Then we will decide we want to base our story on" she explained.

"We thought it'd be better to start as soon as possible" Mary-Alice completed "We'd like to finish the project before the final exams"

"True!" Lynette agreed "I should get to it soon…" she winced, thinking of her future co-writer.

"Look on the bright side – the sooner you talk to Reilly, the sooner you can all start working separately and you won't have to worry about her anymore" Mary-Alice seemed to read her mind once more.

"It really sucks that McCluskey didn't let you change your partner" Bree remarked.

Lee narrowed his eyes. That usually meant that he was hatching something. The way his face suddenly lit up, confirmed Lynette's suspicions. Something had just occurred to him.

"Actually, there might be an even brighter side" he began "Have you ever heard about investigative journalism?"

Lynette frowned.

"What has that got to do with this?"

"Oh, no, Lee!" Bree gasped "You can't be serious!"

"Never been this serious in my life" he said "Now that you're going to work together with Junkie Reilly, you'll have a chance not many people have had. You might have to meet her from time to time and get to know her. Then you can tell us all the juicy stuff!"

"Lee, that's cruel" Mary-Alice scolded him.

"Hey, I'm not asking her to play a prank on Reilly or something" Lee retorted "I just mean that she could find out if all the stories we've heard about her are true"

"Of course they're true!" Bree intervened "All those who had to work with her say that, so it can't be made up"

"Correction – all those who had to work with her did whatever they could to avoid her" Mary-Alice responded.

"Yeah, but for the first time, someone's gonna get the chance to experience it all first-hand" Lee added excitedly "And that's you, Lynette"

"I still don't think it's a good idea" Mary-Alice insisted.

"Come on! Don't tell me you're not the least bit curious!" Lee pouted a little.

"Well, I am" Mary-Alice recognized "But I think it's very mean. Besides, we don't even know whether Lynette wants to do it"

They all turned their faces at Lynette, expectantly. The blonde felt her cheeks turning red. She wasn't sure what to do. Mary-Alice was right – it was invading Reilly's privacy just to get her friends some gossip. There was not that much of a difference between that and spreading rumors about her or calling her Fat Junkie. Not to mention that she was scared of her. On the other hand, she had been rather curious about that girl since the beginning.

"I don't know" she finally answered honestly "Mary-Alice is right. I don't want to become some sort of spy"

"See?" Mary-Alice challenged, pleased.

"You don't need to be a spy" Lee corrected "You just have to spend some time with her and find out whether what they say is true"

"Isn't that pretty much the same?" Lynette enquired.

"Alright, forget it" Lee gave in, visibly disappointed.

"Besides, I don't want to spend time with her" Lynette continued "At least not more than it's needed to write the project. There's something scary about her"

"That's so true!" Bree backed.

"Well, at least think about it" Lee begged.

"Fine" Lynette sighed.

"That's my girl!" Lee patted her shoulder.

"We should get going now" Mary-Alice pointed out.

The group of friends took their things and headed upstairs for the classroom.

"God, Biology and Math on a row!" Bree commented "If it wasn't for the pizzeria after school, Wednesday would be the worst day of the week"

"Well, at least today we didn't have Math" Lee observed.

"Thank god!"

"Yeah, thank god" Lynette agreed.

Deep down, Math had always been one of her favorite subjects, and she didn't mind Biology at all. Yet she would never admit it. Not now that she had friends. Her nerdy self was dead, and she wasn't planning on bringing her back to life.

Biology went by fairly quickly. The next class they had was Art, which was a good way to relax before the break. Copying from a picture was not the most fun thing to do, but at least it was entertaining. Again, time passed and the bell announced the beginning of the break. While the corridors filled with screams and the sound of thousands of steps, something occurred to Lynette.

"I'm gonna talk to her now" she told Mary-Alice while she left her things in the locker.

"Good luck!" the other one smiled.

Of course, she referred to Reilly. The outcast was standing by her locker as well. She had to be quick, as it was hard to find her during the break. Lynette couldn't recall having seen her around in the schoolyard. She approached her carefully, as though she was scared of chasing her away.

"Erm… Reilly?" she said almost underneath her breath.

Reilly turned her head towards her. A thick black line enhanced her greenish-brown eyes, which had a look of indifference; the look of someone who's used to being talked to only to hear something rude. On her pale cheek, she had drawn some black tears.

"I just… you know, we have to write this… project together…" Lynette stuttered "And I was wondering… how could we organize it?"

The goth raised an eyebrow. That was the only response Lynette got from her. Starting to get nervous, the blonde tried to find another way to express it.

"Could we… I don't know, meet sometime?" she suggested "At least decide how we're going to divide the work and start planning. For example, if next week they haven't found a Math teacher yet, we could go to the library that hour…"

"The library is closed at that time" Reilly said dryly.

That caught Lynette by surprise. In fact, it was the first time she had ever heard her speak. She had a very nice voice. Lynette breathed in once more before continuing.

"I didn't know" she admitted "In that case, can we do it quickly now?"

"I'm afraid it's gonna take a bit longer than that" Reilly closed her locker "And I'd rather use the break to have some fun, to be honest"

"True" Lynette rubbed the back of her neck, feeling slightly awkward "Then I guess we'll have to do it outside school"

"Oh, really?" Reilly replied, with no intonation at all "I would have never guessed"

Lynette decided to ignore the sarcasm.

"I guess it'd be better if we went to your place, mine is… well, a mess" she admitted embarrassedly "So, if you could give me your address and phone number…"

"Why don't you just ask Karl Mayer and his pals about my address? Just tell them that you want to throw some rotten eggs against my door again. Oh, and greet them from my mum"

The blonde bit her lip. Although she felt that she was being treated in an unfair way, a part of her was sorry for Reilly. JK sighed.

"Sorry, I forgot you were new here" she said, as she opened her locker again.

She took out a pen and a notebook and wrote her address and telephone number quickly. After tearing out the piece of paper, she handed it to Lynette.

"Thank you" the blonde had a look at the paper "I'd like to start as soon as possible. Is there any day this week when we can meet?"

"Surprise me" she turned on her heels and, as she got further away, she added "I'm free pretty much everyday"

A little puzzled, Lynette went outside to join her friends in the schoolyard. She put the piece of paper in the pocket of her jeans and sat down.

"How did it go?" Mary-Alice wanted to know.

The shorter blonde shook her head.

"She's so unfriendly!" she exclaimed "At least I got her address and telephone number. We've come to the conclusion that the break won't be enough time, so we have to do it outside school"

"Ooh, so you're going to get to see her house!" Lee grinned.

Bree let out a gasp.

"Aren't you scared?"

"I don't know" Lynette replied honestly, gazing to the horizon.


	10. Bullies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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The first number of the _FV-Mag_ was finally published on a Monday. During the break, almost every student was seen in the corridors reading an exemplar. Lee McDermott smiled proudly at the sight of them.

"Successful as usual!" he exclaimed, making his way to the canteen counter with his three friends.

"If at least they had any interest in real news" Bree sighed "I bet they all go straight to the gossip column"

"Of course they do! I wrote it!" Lee giggled.

The redhead rolled her turquoise eyes playfully. She reached for an appetizing red apple and a yoghourt and headed for the till. Mary-Alice, who was the next one, took a muffin with chocolate chips.

"Ooh, someone's in a good mood today" Lee grinned.

"Be careful with that" Bree told her "You wouldn't want to get fat"

"Bree, don't be ridiculous!" Lynette couldn't refrain from retorting "She can perfectly afford it!"

"I know she can. But I'm sure Paul wouldn't like it if she became fat"

"That's shallow and chauvinistic" Lynette went on "If he's really into her, he shouldn't give a damn about that"

"Watch out, we have a feminist amongst us!" Lee joked, surprised by Lynette's outburst.

"It's alright" Mary-Alice finally intervened, not the least bit offended or alarmed by Bree's comments "Besides, I don't think I have to worry much about Paul"

"What's that supposed to mean? You guys have split up?" Bree asked, concerned.

The tall blonde shook her head as she walked out the canteen door. All the way to the steps, her three friends – or rather Bree and Lee – bombarded her with questions. But it wasn't until the three of them were alone that she spilled the beans.

"We're officially a couple" she announced, her cheeks turning red.

All the other three cheered, delighted to hear such good news. Lynette smiled. She was very happy for her friend, but deep down, although she had never been interested in relationships, a part of her was a little envious.

"I'm so proud of you! You finally said yes!" Bree's smiled turned into a pout "But I'm gonna miss you"

"Aaaw, how comes?" Mary-Alice wondered.

"Yeah, because now you'll have to spend the breaks with him instead of us…"

"No" Mary-Alice responded "We've decided that each one is spending recess with their friends. It's important to have some space"

"Don't you already have enough space during the lessons? Each one of you is in a different group, remember?"

"It's not the same. Our policy is that we'll be apart at school and meet in the afternoons or weekends" Mary-Alice explained.

"Does that mean you're not coming to the pizzeria anymore?" Lee gasped.

"Of course I am! He might join us sometimes though"

"Fair enough" Lee said.

Bree, on the other hand, didn't seem too convinced yet.

"I still can't get over you not spending the breaks together. If I had a boyfriend, I'd want to hang out with him all the time!"

"Hey, we're not Susan and Karl!" Mary-Alice laughed.

Whereas Lynette and Lee found the reference funny, Bree shook her head in disapproval.

"But then Lee can't be with us anymore" she exclaimed.

"Why not?"

"Well, he's a boy! I don't think Paul would want to see you hanging out with other boys"

"Gosh, Bree, you're so old-fashioned!" Lynette found herself saying.

"Sorry for having morals!" Bree snapped.

"Girls, girls, calm down" Lee, who was sitting between the two of them, intervened "We don't one another Britt vs. Vitale, do we?"

"I wasn't planning on starting a fight" Lynette replied.

"Me neither" Bree agreed "It was just a heated discussion"

"Heated is the keyword" Lee murmured.

After a moment of silence, Mary-Alice decided to change the subject.

"What do we have after the break, anyway?"

"Math" Lynette answered "Do you think they've already found a substitute?"

"Nah, I don't think so" Lee gave his opinion "This school has never been famous for being organized"

A few minutes later, they stepped into the building to pick up their books and notebooks, just in case they had indeed found a new Math teacher. As their lockers were next to each other, Mary-Alice and Lynette continued their dialogue.

"I'm sorry if I got too radical" Lynette commented "I hope Bree didn't feel offended"

"No, she only gets a bit carried away sometimes" Mary-Alice tied her hair in a ponytail.

"I know I do, too" Lynette admitted "But all that conservative crap about staying thin for your boyfriend and not hanging out with any other boys… it just annoys me"

"I understand" Mary-Alice agreed.

"No, seriously. I mean, I know that appearances are also important, but it's not everything. Shallowness brings nothing but problems" again, Susan and Gabrielle were approaching Reilly's locker "Like that, for example" Lynette pointed at the two cheerleaders.

"Junkie!" Gabby called with a singing tone and mocked sweetness "Have you read the _FV-Mag_?" she held her copy of the school magazine in front of the goth.

And as usual, JK ignored her. Gabrielle went on picking on her.

"There's an article about you. You're number one on the list of the ugliest chicks at school"

"Don't be ridiculous, Gabby!" Susan joined in "No-one cares enough about her to write on the school newspaper about her"

As Reilly didn't react the least, Gabby rolled her magazine and hit her on the head with it. Only then did JK turn towards her with a furious look in her eyes, rubbing the spot where she had been hit with her and.

"Careful, you might turn to stone!" Susan giggled as she also rolled her magazine and hit the outcast once more "But I'll save you!"

Laughing stupidly, the latina got ready to attack again, but a loud voice made her freeze on the spot.

"WILL YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP??? LEAVE HER ALONE!!!"

Both cheerleaders turned towards the person who had just spoken. When they saw who it was, fear could be seen in their faces.

"Edie!" Susan exclaimed "What a surprise!"

"Leave. Her. Alone" Edie repeated, her hands on her hips.

"We were just joking" Gabrielle lied with a fake smile "Weren't we, JK?"

"I've seen what you were doing" the blonde snapped "If you don't stop right now, I'll do the same to you both with a baseball bat. And you know I'm not joking. Understood?"

Both cheerleaders swallowed and nodded. Meanwhile, JK's eyes were fixed on the floor, as though the whole fight had nothing to do with her.

"Now just get away from her" Edie commanded.

"Yes, Edie"

"I SAID NOW!!!"

Susan and Gabrielle ran away like they were being chased by a lion. Once they were gone, Reilly looked back up at Edie, who smiled to her.

Mary-Alice and Lynette had witnessed the whole scene, and their mouths were still hanging open. Before walking away, Edie glared at them.

"What are you looking at?!"

In spite of that, Lynette was quite puzzled and impressed by what she had seen. She would have never imagined Britt being someone's savior. Since the first time she had seen her, she had been sure that she was a bully. Perhaps she had judged her too quickly, after all…

Much to most students' dismay, the school had already found a substitute. As their class teacher, McCluskey was the one who informed the students.

"Although this is not too common, until Mr. Bender recovers, his trainee will teach you Mathematics. She graduated from university last year and has been working for him some months"

"Oh, a newbie!" Delfino rubbed his hands together "This is gonna be fun! They're all so easily teased!"

"She'd better be pretty" Peter commented underneath his breath.

"Come in!" Mrs. McCluskey called as she opened the classroom door to let the new teacher in.

As they had predicted, she was quite young. Twenty-seven at the most. Her hair was dark and reddish, cut in a short bob. Even before she opened her mouth, Lynette had the feeling that there was something bitchy about her.

"They're all yours, Felicia" McCluskey told the apprentice as she left the classroom.

Unlike most trainees, this woman didn't seem to be scared of the students at all. She looked around at them before introducing herself.

"Good morning, everyone!" she smiled "My name is Miss Tilman. Well, I think we should get started. Can anyone tell me how far you were with Mr. Bender?"

Seeing it as his chance to cause some trouble, Mike raised his hand.

"Yes?" Miss Tilman allowed him to speak.

"I'm sorry, Miss Tilman" Mike replied, trying to sound innocent "But Mr. Bender was so quick that we've already finished the whole book!"

Some soft giggles could be heard around the classroom. The new teacher tilted her head a little, her lips still curled in a grin.

"Really?" she asked with her soft voice, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Yes. He also said that, as we've worked so hard, we could spend these hours on the playground"

"I bet he did" Miss Tilman's expression didn't change at all "But first…"

She turned away to the blackboard, picked up a chalk and began writing a very complicate mathematical operation. Even Lynette herself, although she had always been good at Math, gasped at the sight of it. Miss Tilman then pointed the chalk towards Delfino.

"If you've already finished the book, then you won't have any problem with this"

For a moment, Mike's expression froze.

"Yes, I mean you" Felicia said to him "You seem to be in the mood for talking; come to the blackboard"

The troublemaker gained composure quickly and took the chalk from the teacher's hand. He rubbed his chin with his hands, pretending he was thinking. Finally, he wrote the following words after the equal sign: "My ass".

While half the class laughed out loud, the other half took their hands to their foreheads, cringing. The teacher, on the other hand, didn't appear shocked or offended. It felt like there was nothing in the world that could wipe the fake smile away from her face.

"Yeah, exactly what I imagined" she said softly "We have a funny boy, huh? Well, dear, if your behind is important enough to appear in a Math book, then I guess you won't need to sit. You're standing for the rest of the lesson"

"What?" Mike asked shocked "But…"

"Take your book and notebook"

"But…"

"Tick-tack"

Mike rolled his eyes as he walked to his desk and got the book and notebook. He was used to detention, so he didn't mind. After all, the whole class was on his side.

"Now" Felicia said, as she cleared the blackboard "If anyone is kind to tell me how far in the book you _really_ are…"

"We were going to start Lesson 5, Miss Tilman" Bolen said.

"Thank you very much" the teacher smiled at him.

Felicia Tilman sat at her desk and opened her book, looking for Lesson 5.

"Oh, arithmetic! My favorite!" she exclaimed. As she looked up, she noticed Mike leaning against the wall "Uh-uh, no leaning. You're still young; if you don't need a stick to walk, then you don't need to rest your back on the wall"

Delfino sighed harshly, but did as he was told nevertheless. Lynette smiled on the inside. Although she was afraid that the teacher was a bit too harsh, she was glad that someone could take on the classroom.


	11. First visit

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Used to taking the bus to school, Lynette almost got off at the wrong place. According to the paper she had given her, JK lived two stops away from school.

Rucksack on her shoulders, she had a look at her co-writer's address. Number 735. She searched the street with her eyes until she found the right house and rang the doorbell. It took some seconds until someone opened.

"Oh, it's you. Hi" JK made some space so that she could come in.

The first thing that surprised Lynette was the fact that the house looked fairly normal. It was in fact tidier and cleaner than hers. Except for some music coming from upstairs, everything seemed silent. There didn't seem to be anyone around.

"Stay here, I'll be right back" Reilly told her.

"Ok"

As the other girl went upstairs, Lynette left her rucksack on the floor, still studying the room. The wooden floor and the traditional decoration gave it a classy, welcoming touch. Frankly, it didn't look at all like a junkie's home. Funny enough, the kitchen walls were painted in a soft shade of orange with yellowish touches. It didn't really have anything to do with JK's style.

The sound of music upstairs stopped. Reilly went back downstairs, her notebook and a pen in her hands. She took a seat at the table in the living-room.

"You can sit down as well" she said to Lynette, seeing that she was still standing.

Lynette joined her at the table, taking her notebook and pens out of her rucksack. Reilly observed her as she laid it on the surface and opened it.

"I was thinking that we could divide the work" the blonde explained "My friends are writing the project together and decided that each one had to choose three books and then decide together which one would be the basis"

"Fair enough" JK nodded.

"Do you have an idea what book you'd like to choose?" Lynette asked.

Reilly shook her head.

"I spend the breaks in the library; I read thousands of books a year. I don't think I could choose only one"

"I see. Well, then let's try to do it the other way round. Do you have an idea what you'd like to write about?"

The outcast shrugged.

"Come on, there has to be a genre you're especially into" the blonde insisted "How about fantasy?"

"Could do"

"Alright" she took down the word 'fantasy' and looked back up to her co-writer "Any topic in particular?"

"I don't know"

"Oh, come on" Lynette pushed "The sooner we decide what to write about, the sooner we can start"

"Right. Um, how about… vampires?"

"Doesn't sound too bad. We can quote Bram Stocker as our source" Lynette wrote down the keywords "Now let's talk about the storyline"

JK looked puzzled. Lynette ran a hand through her hair, slightly uncomfortable by the other's stare.

"Well, we'll need one… at least a basic idea"

"Shouldn't we first make the topic and the influences clear before we begin thinking of the plot?" JK wondered.

"Not necessarily. We can just write the story and then adapt it so that they can see what it was inspired by"

"That's weird" JK commented "Oh well… maybe it works"

"At least we could try. So, who should start?" Lynette asked.

The goth narrowed her brownish eyes and tilted her head a little to the side, confused.

"Yeah, I was thinking one of us could start writing a chapter and hand it to the other one so she can do the next one" the blonde explained "Then, once it's done, we can meet again to make any changes we need"

Reilly let out a harsh sigh. She clearly wasn't pleased with the idea.

"I know it sounds like a lot of work" Lynette said "But hey, I can write the composition if you want to. I don't mind"

"You really don't wanna do this, do you?" was JK's response.

"No, it's just that…"

Lynette tried to find an excuse, but nothing occurred to her. Seeing that she was unable to justify herself, she merely looked down, guilt taking over her. JK rubbed her forehead.

"Just tell me. Which one of the things you've heard has scared you most?" she asked bluntly.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid" Reilly gazed coldly into Lynette's eyes "Do you really think I don't know what they say about me? I'm just wondering which one of those stories made you want to get rid of me so desperately. Are you afraid of me cutting you and using your blood for my Satanist rituals or of meeting the dead body I keep in my room?"

Lynette swallowed. Reilly's sarcastic, indifferent way of talking made her feel even worse. The girl was clearly used to people running away from her for the most stupid reasons. She wanted to say something; she wanted to show her that she didn't want to hurt her, but it already seemed to be too late.

"Just go away, will you?" JK said without even looking at her.

"But… the project…"

"You know what? Let's do it the usual way. I'll write it on my own and then write both our names. I'm pretty good; Carolyn Bigsby got an A in Chemistry thanks to me last year. Or else you can always talk to McCluskey and ask her to give you a new partner… if you haven't yet"

"I'm sorry..." was all Lynette could say.

"Same old, same old" JK's eyes kept avoiding Lynette "Now go"

The blonde stayed motionless for a moment. She felt terrible for the way she had acted; on the other hand, she was too ashamed to stay. In the end, she chose to pick up her things and leave.


	12. New section

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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"So she kicked you out of her house? Just like that?" Mary-Alice exclaimed.

Lynette nodded.

"But why?"

"Well, I… guess she felt offended because I made it too obvious that I just wanted to get over with it" Lynette rubbed the back of her neck.

"Damn!" Lee chuckled "What did you say to her?"

"I just suggested writing it separately, one chapter each one, and then meet again to see if we had to change something"

"I told you she was a weirdo" Bree shook her head.

"What are you gonna do in the end?" Mary-Alice asked, worried.

Lynette toyed a little with her plastic fork before replying.

"She said she'd write the whole project herself and pretend we did it together"

"You can't let her do that!" Bree gasped "God knows what kind of twisted things she'd write…"

"Besides" Lee pointed at Lynette with his plastic spoon as he opened his yoghourt "McCluskey could notice it. And that could get you into trouble"

The blonde sighed.

"Look, I don't know what to do anymore. I don't think I can talk her into working with me"

"I'm afraid you'll have to" Mary-Alice said.

"Otherwise you can talk to Mrs. McCluskey" Bree suggested.

"Don't be silly" Lee disagreed "She already said no when Lynette asked her; why would she have changed her mind now?"

Lynette didn't correct him. She knew her friends would ask a lot of questions if she admitted that she hadn't even tried to change her partner.

"I would be afraid to have her as my co-writer" Bree grimaced "Imagine you go to her place and find her bleeding in the tub after cutting her wrists…"

"Ugh, Bree!" Mary-Alice rolled her eyes "That's stupid! I don't think anyone can be mental enough to commit suicide"

"Well, you never know…"

Bree had a look at her watch and sighed.

"Talking about suicide… just five minutes to Math! Great!"

"You mean five minutes to Delfino vs. Tilman!" Lee corrected with a grin.

"You're really enjoying that, aren't you?" Lynette narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

"You bet. I'm still laughing about last week's incident"

"I hate that woman" Mary-Alice growled "Paul told me she's always picking on him"

"Looks like she always needs a victim" Lee remarked "What did she do to Paul?"

"She calls him Pauley and asks him tricky questions constantly. Oh, and she always has to make mean comments about anything, from his handwriting to his clothes"

And as they had predicted, that lesson wasn't easy at all, especially for Mike. Already after five minutes in the classroom, Miss Tilman walked towards him and rested her hands on his desk.

"Is that a chewing gum you have in your mouth, Delfino?" she asked, with her fake sweetness.

"I'll throw it away" he responded, showing clearly no intentions to do so.

"That won't be necessary. Spit it" she put her hand in front of his mouth.

"What for?" Mike raised an eyebrow.

"I said spit it" Tilman repeated, her smile still plastered across her face.

Seeing that there was no way out, he finally did what he was told. The teacher picked up the gum and then stuck it on his forehead.

"There you go. Keep it there the whole hour. I bet your girlfriend will find it very sexy" she eyed Susan, who turned red immediately.

"She's not!" he retorted under his breath.

Yet the teacher was already by the blackboard, so she didn't listen to him.

"Oh my god!" Mary-Alice exclaimed, as she opened the letter box by the press room door "It's full!"

Bree's eyes widened, seeing the amount of letters they had received in that week.

"Are you sure they're all for us?"

Mary-Alice nodded.

"People must be having many problems" Lee laughed "I'm sure they're all for you"

As there were too many envelopes for just one single person to carry, Lynette helped Mary-Alice lay them on the table. After observing them, Mary-Alice spoke:

"Not all of them are for me. Apparently, they loved the idea of getting their own stuff published on the school newspaper…"

"See? I told you guys Mona was a genius" Lee smiled.

Both blondes began classifying the letters. Indeed, most of them were from people who wanted to contribute to the _FV-Mag_ with their arts or little pieces of written work. Only a few were for Mary-Alice's problem page.

"We can pretty much dedicate a whole section to this" Lynette commented.

"Hey, that sounds like a good idea" Lee said "You know what they say – you have to give your readers what they want. I'll talk to Mona and see if she wants to take care of that section, as it was her idea"

"I don't think she will" Mary-Alice lay some of the envelopes on the table "She already has enough work with the interviews"

"Hmm, true" Lee tilted his head.

"Lynette could do it" Bree suggested "She's only doing the general news with the rest of us; besides, she had the idea of making this an independent section"

Their three faces turned to Lynette, waiting for an answer. She didn't make them wait for too long.

"Yeah, I can do it. I just have to choose what we're gonna publish, right?"

"Exactly" Lee replied "Choose one or a few, depending on how long or big they are. We can use the rest next week if there are not enough, or you can just throw them away if they're too horrible"

The blonde nodded. She opened the first envelope and had a look at what was inside. Someone from first year had drawn a full-colored fairy. Mary-Alice, at the same time, had also begun reading her letters. She glanced at the picture Lynette had in her hands out of the corner of her eye.

"That's a pretty one" she remarked.

"Yeah, I know. If all are this nice, it's gonna be difficult to choose"

"Well, you can take your time… until Thursday after school, that is" Lee smiled.

"I'm gonna have a lot to see and read" Lynette sighed, looking at the pile of envelopes she still had.

Lee patted her shoulder in a friendly way.

"Come on, I'm sure it'll be fun" he had a look at the drawing Lynette had just put aside "Wait a second! Doesn't this fairy remind you a little bit of someone?"

Bree narrowed her eyes, watching the picture carefully. Then she shook her head.

"Erm… no. Why?"

"Come on, she looks exactly like Edie Britt!" Lee exclaimed "Wanna bet this was drawn by some admirer?"

"It was drawn by a girl who's in first year" Lynette laughed "But now that you mentioned, she looks kind of similar"

"No way!" Bree wrinkled her nose slightly "Even that fairy, which doesn't even exist is a thousand times more ladylike than Britt"

"You don't like her?" Lynette wondered.

"Not at all! She's such a bully!"

"She's not a bully" Mary-Alice intervened, looking up from her letter "You're just still mad at her because she used to call you _carrot_ in first grade"

"The whole class annoyed me because of my hair the whole year!" Bree complained.

"Oh, I remember that" Lee chuckled "But you have to admit that sometimes she was funny"

"She still frightens me" the redhead commented.

"I know she can be a little bit scary" Lee recognized "But that's only at the beginning. Once you get to know her, she's pretty cool"

As Lee said that, the image of Edie Britt confronting the cheerleaders came to Lynette's mind. She agreed with Bree that Edie could be rather tough at times, but she didn't seem to be a bad person at all. That, in turn, made her feel a stab of guilt when she remember a certain moment…


	13. All weirdos

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………**..**

As it was to be expected, the library was virtually deserted during recess. Lynette knew it would be easy to find JK there. Apart from a few nerds and the librarian herself, there was not a soul in there. The blonde frowned after casting her eyes all over the room. There didn't seem to be a trace of the very person she was looking for. Doing her best not to be distracted by the millions of books that surrounded her, Lynette explored the place. It was quite big compared to the one in her previous school. In fact, she felt tempted several times to check out the books on the shelf.

Finally, she found her co-writer in a lonely section, where all the horror and epic books were. JK had a thick book in her hands, which she seemed to be reading with pleasure. She was so concentrated that she didn't notice Lynette's presence until she spoke to her.

"Reilly…"

The outcast looked up from the book, as indifferent as usual. Lynette took a seat next to hers.

"What are you doing here?" JK merely asked.

"I needed to talk to you about something, and I knew I'd find you here…"

"Oh, wow, you actually listen to me!" she exclaimed, faking enthusiasm "And you still haven't turned into stone!"

"What?"

"I'm sure they also have a legend about this" she closed the book keeping a finger on the page she was reading "Anyway, what is it?"

"Look, I'm sorry for the last time we met" Lynette looked down "I've been thinking about it, and you were right – we should work together. You can't do all the work by yourself. We should do it your way"

"Wow! What made you change your mind? Oh, let me guess – you're afraid of getting into trouble with McCluskey, aren't you?"

Lynette sighed. She didn't understand why Reilly was always so rude, when she hadn't done anything to her. Nevertheless, the way the goth always seemed to know her intentions, managed to make her feel bad.

"Look, it's a lot of work" Lynette justified herself "I don't think I could do it on my own, and I don't think you could either…"

"I can. I have a lot of free time" JK went back to her book "You see, my social life is not as exciting as yours…"

"Well, in any case, I don't think you _should_. We're supposed to work in pairs, and I wouldn't find it fair to let you do everything and take the credit for it"

JK sighed harshly and eyed Lynette.

"I appreciate your efforts to make it sound like a completely selfless decision. I know it's not though. Anyway, you don't like me and I don't like you either, but let's be honest – neither of us wants to take the risk of being caught and working in vain, so… let's do it"

"Are you serious?" Lynette raised her voice a little, excited.

"Shush!" the librarian warned.

Lynette lowered her voice again.

"Do we have a deal, then?"

"Mhm" JK nodded.

The blonde smiled. She then held out her hand. Reilly gave it a puzzled look. She was going to shake it, but something occurred to her before.

"But I'm not writing any cheesy romantic crap"

"Sssshusssh!" the librarian repeated.

"We're sorry!" Lynette said, a little louder so that she could hear her. Then, she went back to speaking a bit lower "Of course not! And we're doing it your way"

"Good. Oh, and no vampires. I hate the way they're becoming a trend nowadays"

"I have no problem with that" Lynette agreed.

Finally, JK shook Lynette's hand, closing the deal. The blonde couldn't help noticing some scratches, and that her nails were painted in black, like the rest of her clothes.

"We can do it like your friends" JK suggested "Each one of us chooses three books that could be interesting and then we meet to decide which one"

"Yes, sounds good. When could we meet?"

"Ssssshuuuusshh!" an angrier sound came from the librarian's desk.

"Tomorrow after school" JK replied.

"Ok" Lynette whispered.

"And now go before Miss Huber kicks you out"

"Mary-Alice, would you be so kind to tell your boyfriend to stop keeping the whole pizza to himself?" Lee laughed.

"I'm sorry. I'm very hungry after training" Paul babbled, his mouth full.

Mary-Alice simply smiled and laid her head on Paul's shoulder. He used his free hand to stroke over her blonde hair. They looked really sweet together.

Bree took a slice of pizza.

"I wish I had a boyfriend too" she sighed.

"You'll find one soon. Redheads are hot" Lee put his arm around her shoulders cheerfully "You know what we're gonna do? I'm inviting you guys to Chicago for a weekend and we're gonna go party!"

"Sounds fun" Mary-Alice commented.

"Sorry, only singles" Lee stuck out his tongue at her.

Mary-Alice mirrored his move playfully. Speaking of boys, at that moment, Lynette noticed Tom. He was sitting at a different table on his own drinking a coke, a case resting on the other seat. Unlike most times they had seen him there, he wasn't wearing the pizzeria uniform. He must be having a break, she thought.

"Excuse me for a second" she said as she stood up.

Running a hand through her hair, she walked towards his table. Tom, who seemed to be pretty lost in his thoughts, almost gasped when he saw her.

"Hey" she greeted with a smile.

"H… hi!" he responded nervously.

"What are you doing here on your own?" she wanted to know.

"I, um… it's my day off. I work here part-time with my dad" he explained.

The way he seemed so scared of her had something strangely cute.

"Why don't you come and sit with us?" she invited.

"What? Me?"

"Well, yes, who else?" she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Erm… ok" he said as he picked up the case and the glass to follow her.

Lynette dragged one more chair closer to the table so that he could sit. With a shaky smile, he joined them, putting the case on his lap.

"Hey Tom!" Lee greeted "What are you up to?"

"Not much. Day off. And you guys?"

"Nothing new, just chatting a little" Lee replied.

"And eating" Paul completed.

"Especially you" Lee grinned.

Paul glared playfully and threw an ice cube at him. Giggling, Lee managed to move over right in time to avoid it. Tom kept toying with his straw, his eyes fixed on the glass. He seemed to be very shy. Therefore Lynette thought she should try to make some conversation.

"What do you have in there?" she asked, pointing at the case.

"_Charlotte_" Tom answered. Seeing the bemused look on Lynette's face, he continued "It's my tuba. All the good musicians in history gave their instruments names. I call mine _Charlotte_"

"Oh, so you play tuba?"

"Yes" he nodded.

"Are you in the school band?"

"Of course!" he said proudly "I'm the solo tuba. Well, maybe because I'm the only tuba"

"I guess it's not a very common instrument" she commented.

"It's the best instrument ever!" he exclaimed "Only very few are fit to play it"

"I can imagine. You have to have good lungs…"

"It takes a lot more than good lungs!" he snapped passionately "Those who play it in the right way have a very special gift"

"Oh…"

"It's in the soul" he interrupted before she could even say anything "You can only be a good tubist if you have the right soul"

"I see" she frowned, a little overwhelmed by his enthusiasm.

"Do you know why there are so few pieces of music written for a solo tuba?" he went on "Because it's very difficult to write something good enough for this wonderful instrument. Only a few chosen ones can understand its wonders and its power. But I do" he embraced _Charlotte_'s case "I'm one of those few chosen ones"

Taken aback, Lynette nodded. The first times she had seen him, she didn't think he was the typical geek or nerd. However, after his passionate speech, she remembered Gabrielle's comment – "I only find his obsession with his tuba creepy". The blonde checked on her watch. Luckily for her, she was going to meet Reilly soon to start, for once and for all, with their project.

"I should get going" she excused herself "You guys have fun"

"Dude, I think you've scared her" she heard Lee joking.


	14. Team work

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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One of the things Lynette was most proud of about herself was her sense of orientation. It took her scarcely five minutes to walk from the pizzeria to JK's. The woman who opened the door after she rang was clearly an older version of Reilly. They both had the same auburn hair and greenish-brown eyes, and although the styles were completely different, seeing the woman's face could give a good idea of what JK looked like without all the dark make-up.

"Hello. Can I help you?" the lady asked. She seemed bewildered to see Lynette.

"Yeah, I'm looking for…"

"Oh, right! What was I thinking!" she interrupted "Katherine already told me you were coming. Come in"

"Thanks" Lynette said as she stepped inside.

"She's in her bedroom, first door on the left-hand side upstairs" the woman informed.

The girl nodded and made her way upstairs. Before walking in, she knocked. She had to be careful not to upset her, and she knew that invading her privacy could certainly have that effect on her. First, the music stopped. Then the door opened a little, revealing the side of JK's face. Once she saw it was Lynette, she made some more space so that she could enter the room.

"Hi" Lynette greeted.

"Hey"

As the blonde let her rucksack fall to the floor, she observed the room. Although it fitted JK's style perfectly, it didn't look creepy at all. She seemed to have a preference for dark colors, especially black, red and purple. There were candles all around, and the smell of incense hit her nose right away.

"So… let's get started, shall we?" JK dragged a chair closer to her desk and made some space on the surface.

Lynette sat on the chair next to her co-writer and searched her rucksack for some paper and a pen to take notes.

"Did you bring the books?" the goth asked.

"Yes" Lynette took the three books she had chosen out of the suitcase "We've got _Are you there God? It's me, Margaret_…"

"Boooring!"

"… _Alice in Wonderland_…"

"Well, that's a little better…"

"And _The Chronicles of Narnia I_"

JK stared at Lynette. Surprised could be read all over her face.

"What's wrong?" the blonde asked "I know many people say it's for kids, but I really loved it"

Reilly stood up and picked up three books from the shelf.

"These were my choices – _The Bell Jar_, _Midsummer Night's Dream_… and _The Chronicles of Narnia I_"

Lynette glanced at the books for a moment. She then looked up at her co-writer, smiling a little.

"Then I guess it's clear, isn't it?"

"I guess so" JK nodded "You don't really look like the type who'd be into this kind of books"

"It's actually one of my favorites, Katherine" Lynette explained "I read it when I was…"

"What did you just call me?" the goth interrupted, her eyes widening.

The blonde tuck some strands of her hair behind her ears.

"Well, your mother called you Katherine, so I took it that's your name. I didn't know what JK stands for"

"It doesn't mean junkie"

"I already guessed that" Lynette rolled her eyes "Then I take it the K means Katherine…"

"If you really are so interested…" JK sighed "My full name is Jane Katherine. No-one calls me Jane, and only my mum calls me Katherine. I hate it, always have"

"But why? It's a nice name" Lynette commented "People misspell mine all the time. At least yours is a normal name"

"Exactly because of that. I don't think it suits me at all"

"So you like JK better, then?"

"I don't mind it much" JK answered "I'd like it better if all the idiots at school hadn't started calling me Junkie"

"I see. Don't you have any other nickname, something you'd like to be called?"

The outcast shrugged.

"Shouldn't we get to work now that we've chosen the source of inspiration?"

"Right" Lynette nodded "What do you think we should do first – plan the story or think about in what ways _Narnia_ should influence our book?"

"I don't think we can really say what we used from _Narnia_ until we've written the book" JK observed "But we could start thinking about what we'd like to use"

"Good point! What shall we use, then?"

"Well, I don't think a book based on _Narnia_ or anything like that could be complete without some mythological creatures"

Lynette wrote down the words 'mythological creatures' on her paper. She bit the back of the pen, thinking of something else they could add to their brainstorming.

"Oh, and of course there has to be a parallel reality" she said "Two worlds and a door between the two of them"

"True! And there have to be a hero and a villain"

The blonde took down all the ideas they had both suggested. Half-closing her eyes, Reilly continued searching for inspiration. She didn't seem that menacing anymore, but she was still rather cold and distant.

"Usually, in fantasy there are talking animals… but I'm not a big fan" the redhead commented.

"Hmm, me neither" Lynette tilted her head, thinking "And I suppose the main characters have to be kids, or at least young"

"Yeah. And I guess a forest is a must"

"Probably" Lynette had a look at the piece of paper "We have quite a good number of ideas to start with"

A nod was the other's only response. Lynette ran a hand through her hair.

"So… how are we going to organize it all? I mean, are we gonna write one chapter each, or…?"

"We could try to plan the storyline, and once we have it, we could start writing the first chapter together"

"Sounds good" Lynette agreed "Do you want to write all the chapters together or one chapter each?"

"You're not yet really into the idea of writing with me, are you?" JK raised an eyebrow.

A little intimidated by the comment, Lynette toyed with one of her locks, biting her lip.

"I honestly don't mind it. I just wanted to know what you had in mind"

"Very diplomatic" JK muttered to herself, scribbling randomly on her sheet of paper. Then she looked back up at Lynette "I guess if we write a little together and then one of us has an idea how to continue and time to go on, she can do it on her own. Then we just have to meet and see if we like the result"

Lynette nodded. She checked on her watch and realized that it was already getting a bit late. As winter was approaching, the days were shorter, and she didn't want to wait for the bus in the dark for a long time.

"It's a good idea. But I'm afraid we'll have to wait for the next time" she excused herself, putting her things back to her rucksack "I should go now"

JK just observed her, her chin resting on her hand. Luckily, she didn't seem too offended by Lynette's sudden hurry. Before walking out the door, something occurred to the blonde.

"You know what we could do? Each one of us could try to think of a possible storyline" she suggested "Then we could meet next week and discuss it"

"That's fine with me"

"Alright… see you then"


	15. I heard a rumor

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Lee's face lit up completely. Lynette followed his gaze to find the reason. Paul had just walked into the pizzeria, but he wasn't alone. Another boy, a blue-eyed footballer with dark hair, had just come in with him. Lynette didn't know his name, but she had seen him before – at Lee's party.

"Hey guys!" Mary-Alice greeted, as she stood up to peck Paul's lips.

"Hey there!" the other footballer smiled.

Lee stood up as well and hi-fived the newcomer and gave him a punch.

"What's up, Bob?" he asked.

"Not much" the other replied "Just a bit hungry after training"

The boys sat down, Paul next to his girlfriend and Bob between Lynette and Lee. The later had a look at the menu before asking:

"Do they have anything else apart from pizza? I'm not a big fan…"

"Then what are you doing in a pizzeria?" Mary-Alice laughed.

"Oh, well" he rubbed the back of his neck "I'm just very hungry and there's not much more around here… I guess it'll do"

Some minutes later, Mr. Scavo came to take their orders. His son didn't seem to be around, and Lynette was not the only one who noticed that fact.

"Where's Tom?" Lee wondered.

"He's at band practice" Mr. Scavo replied "They're having a concert soon, so they've been rehearsing more often lately"

"Oh, right, the Christmas concert!" Lee exclaimed "We both are in the choir" he pointed at Bree "I guess soon we'll start having more rehearsals"

Tom's dad nodded as he took the menus from the table and left. Perhaps it was just imagination, but Lynette would have sworn that he had been staring at her in a strange way all the time. At that moment, she noticed that all her friends were giggling quietly, exchanging knowing looks.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing" Mary-Alice grinned.

Lee pressed his lips hard against each other, preventing himself from laughing. Narrowing her eyes, Lynette looked at Bree, who blushed and looked down immediately.

"Mr. Scavo saw you talking to Tom last time" Bree explained, averting Lynette's gaze.

"So?"

Lee let out a chuckle. The blonde looked between her friends, still confused.

"God, you really don't get it, do you?" Lee exclaimed.

"Get what?"

Lynette's confusion made her three friends burst out laughing. Paul and Bob looked at each other, shrugging.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

None of them replied. They all seemed to busy giggling. Lynette was starting to feel a bit annoyed when Mary-Alice finally gave her an explanation.

"He thinks you like his son"

The shorter blonde's eyes widened.

"What?! No!"

Now even Bob and Paul joined in the laughter. To make the situation even worse, Lynette felt her cheeks blushing slightly, more due to the sudden attention she was receiving.

"I don't like him!" she insisted.

"The color on your face says otherwise" Lee singsonged "I don't blame you though – he's cute. I mean, if I was a girl I'd also be into him"

"Didn't know you were into nerds, Lee" Mary-Alice teased.

"I'm not"

"Me neither!" Lynette said "He's crazy!"

"So you would say no if he asked you out?" Bree questioned her.

"I don't think he'd ask out anyone apart from his tuba"

Lynette's prompted all the teens around the table to laugh harder.

"You're right in that! Good one!" Lee chuckled "But hey, I can see him being into you. After all, you're probably the only girl in the world who has ever talked to him"

"I really hope no!" Lynette exclaimed.

"I wouldn't want to date a nerd either" the redhead commented, grimacing "Not that I could afford it anyway"

"What do you mean?" Lynette asked.

"It wouldn't be good for my status" Bree replied, as if it was something completely obvious.

The blonde rolled her eyes, thinking that she'd never understand all those weird high school rules. For a moment, she missed the time when she just didn't care about them.

"Wouldn't it be fun if you were dating Tom?" Lee grinned "He's such a weirdo… I bet you'd give me material for a five-page gossip column. Oh, speaking of which – the one I've prepared for this week is going to be a bombshell!"

"Why?" Mary-Alice wanted to know.

"Gabby has given me some really juicy stories" Lee's eyes sparkled.

"Has Susan cheated on Mayer with Delfino already?" Bree tried to guess, twisting up her face at the thought.

"No, but I'm sure this is happening soon…"

"Even if it did, I don't think you should publish that, Lee" Mary-Alice said "Vitale would make a huge scene. Remember what happened with Edie Britt? If she had no problem to fight her, imagine what she'd do to Bremmer…"

"That'd serve her right, to be honest" Lynette mumbled underneath her breath.

Luckily, no-one heard the comment. Lee lowered his voice a bit to repeat what Gabrielle Marquez had told him.

"Apparently, there's a certain cheerleader who's planning on getting a boobjob after prom"

"Who?" Paul wondered curiously, making Mary-Alice smack his arm playfully.

"Annabel Foster" Lee replied.

"Annabel? But she has quite a good pair" Bob frowned.

Lee glared a little at the boy sitting next to him.

"That's exactly the thing" he explained "She's padding her bras to make it look like she was bustier"

They all gasped. Lynette played along, although deep down she didn't understand why Lee found that so interesting. She liked her friend a lot, but there were moments when his gossipy attitude was a bit too much for her.


	16. Three is the magic number

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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"Hey!" JK greeted as she opened the door.

"Hey!" the blonde smiled.

As she stepped inside, she noticed that her co-writer was holding a cat in her arms. The little animal jumped down while Reilly closed the door.

"What's your cat's name?" Lynette asked.

"_Arwen_" Reilly replied caressing the animal's back.

"Oh, like the one in _The Lord of the Rings_!"

"Exactly!"

"That's one of my favourite books" Lynette commented, smiling to herself.

The redhead looked back up from the kitten and gave Lynette a strange stare.

"Did you just say book?"

"Erm, yeah…" the blonde answered embarrassedly, wondering if she had said something wrong "I mean…"

"I'm just surprised. Most people in our school don't even know there was a book before the cartoon. And even if they tried to read it, they would probably understand half"

"Well, I've read it" Lynette explained "About four years ago, when I was twelve"

"Really? Me too. I thought I was the only one was into that stuff! But well, I should have known – you were also into _Narnia_"

Lynette nodded.

"She's cute. _Arwen_, I mean" she commented.

"Only a little too playful. She always scratches me everywhere" the redhead rolled up her sleeve, revealing some scratches in her forearm.

"Oh, of course!" Lynette exclaimed.

The goth frowned, puzzled.

"What?"

"That's why you always have cuts and scratches! It's not because you cut yourself!"

Seeing the look on JK's face, Lynette knew she shouldn't have said that. She kept her eyes on the floor, expecting her host to explode in rage.

"Oh, please!" Reilly sighed harshly "Don't tell me you believed all this crap!"

"Well… you always have wounds in your arms. Besides, you always wear black, and…"

"So just because I like black I have to be a psycho, right?" the outcast rolled her eyes.

"No, of course not! But I had never met anyone who… I mean… you know, someone like you"

"Someone like me? And what's that?" JK's hands were on her hips "A redhead? A 16-year-old? A white chick?"

The blonde swallowed before replying.

"A… goth. Is that what you guys like to be called?"

"Yeah… goths" Katherine shook her head "You know, we all have this weird gene that makes us be into S&M and try to commit suicide whenever we have the chance. Please! Just because I like to dress in a certain way it doesn't mean I have to be like the stereotype. I thought you were a bit more intelligent than that"

"I'm sorry" Lynette retorted, partly embarrassed by having been so simplistic, but also slightly annoyed by JK's defensive attitude "Like I said, I had never met any goths…"

"Anyway, let's get to work" JK said.

Lynette followed her host upstairs to her room, letting out a sigh. As they had done the last time, they both sat at the desk to discuss the storyline each one of them had created. JK read Lynette's, and vice versa. The auburn-haired girl brushed some strands away from her face before commenting.

"I like it. The idea of the main character being one of the chosen ones to save a world of fantasy is a bit overused, but still interesting. And I like the idea of him being a mythological creature without knowing. What did you have in mind exactly?"

"Er… I don't know" Lynette confessed "Maybe he could be… a werewolf?"

"Wouldn't that be very obvious?" JK raised an eyebrow "I mean, if he was one, he'd know as soon as there was full moon"

"You're right. Let's see…" the blonde tilted her head, thinking "You said you didn't like vampires, and that'd be quite obvious as well, so… how about an elf?"

"An elf… hmm, that might work" JK nodded "What do you think of my story?"

Lynette observed the paper on which JK had collected her ideas. In spite of having read it before, she noticed that JK's handwriting was very elegant. Then she looked back up to her co-writer.

"I like the idea of someone who has powers but doesn't know, so he has to learn to control them. And finding the door to a different dimension behind the bathroom mirror is pretty original"

"Well, using a wardrobe would have been stupid…" JK pointed out.

"True. Do you have any ideas about what could happen to the main character when he runs away to the other world?" Lynette wanted to know.

"No, I hadn't really thought about that. My idea was simply that strange things are happening around the character because he can't control his powers, so he has many problems. Everyone thinks he's a weirdo; so while someone's chasing him, he finds the door to a parallel reality and decides to hide there. And that's where he finds out that he has some special powers" the redhead explained "But that could give us a chance to combine both stories"

"Hey, good idea!" the blonde smiled "He doesn't really fit in the real world because he has special powers, so while he's being bullied by some other boys, he hides in the bathroom and finds the door to the other world. There he finds out that he was chosen to all the magical creatures and that he's one of them. So he starts learning to control his powers and becomes a hero!"

"… and he's half an elf" Katherine completed.

"It already sounds like a great story, doesn't it?" Lynette exclaimed.

"It does!"

"It's going to be complicated though. It'll take some time to write it"

"True. I guess we'll have to meet every week" JK suggested "Unfortunately for you…"

"Are you kidding? I'm looking forward to starting it!"

"Me too" JK confessed "But I think now we both deserve a break"

"Good idea!" Lynette agreed.

They closed their notebooks and went back downstairs to the kitchen. JK opened one of the wooden cupboards, which was perfectly tidy and clean, like the rest of the room.

"Wanna drink something?" she asked.

"I… don't drink alcohol" Lynette bit her lip.

The other turned to her, giving her a funny look.

"Me neither! Who gets drunk at five in the afternoon?" she frowned "I meant something like cocoa or coffee… although I don't like coffee too much"

"Oh. Well, cocoa would be nice"

"Coming right up"

Lynette observed JK as she took a plastic jar from the cupboard and prepare two mugs of cocoa in the microwave. At the same time as the microwave announced that it had finished, the doorbell rang.

"Just a second!" JK called as she headed for the door to open.

When Lynette saw the person who was ringing, she almost fell from the chair where she was sitting.

"Hey there!" Edie Britt greeted with a smile as she hugged the goth.

"Hey Edie!"

JK let the tomboyish girl in, closing the door behind her. Edie then noticed Lynette in the kitchen, who waved at her shyly.

"Are you busy?" Britt asked Reilly.

"We're writing our Literature project together" the redhead explained "But it's fine, we were having a break now"

"Oh yes, McCluskey's infamous project!" Edie chuckled "We haven't started yet"

"Who are you doing it with?"

"Carlos"

"Lucky for you. Wanna have some cocoa?" JK offered.

Edie Britt crossed her arms in front of her chest, glaring a little. JK cleared her throat.

"I meant a beer"

"Much better!" the newcomer smiled "You know me too well"

As Reilly opened the fridge to get Edie her drink, she called:

"But next time you bring your own beer. My mum's going to notice that hers is disappearing soon"

"Your mum is the most absent-minded person in the world!" Edie laughed as she opened her beer can "And she knows you don't drink"

"Well, yeah" JK took the two mugs out of the microwave and handed one to Lynette "But we don't want her to think you're a bad influence on me, do we?"

"Doesn't she _know_ I'm a bad influence?"

Lynette observed the exchange between the other too astonished. They seemed pretty close. However, except for the moment when Edie stood up for Reilly, she had never seen them together at school. The rebel had a look at Lynette as she took a sip of her beer.

"I think I've seen you before, but I don't remember where…"

"We talked for a while at Lee's party" the blonde replied.

"Oh, right!" Edie exclaimed "Um… Lynette, was it?"

Lynette nodded, a bit surprised that the other one remembered her name. She hadn't even said hello to her again since the only time they had talked. Britt ran a hand through her long, untidy hair.

"I'm not really good with faces. My memory must be getting old"

"Too many joints" JK singsonged, teasing her.

Edie smirked as she smacked JK's shoulder playfully. What Lynette found rather strange is that, in contrast to her usual reactions, Reilly didn't move away or glare. Her body language seemed a lot more relaxed, and her defensive attitude had disappeared.

"So… you two are friends?" only after asking the question, did the blonde realize how stupid it sounded.

"No, she's babysitting me" Reilly replied.

"Yeah, and in return she's my dealer" Edie joked along.

Lynette merely nodded, slightly overwhelmed by the scene. For a moment, she felt that she didn't really belong there. She finished the rest of her cocoa and stood up, taking her rucksack.

"I… I think it's already time for me to go…" she excused herself.

"Hey, what's the rush?" Edie asked "We don't bite. Unless you want us to"

The blonde stood motionless for a moment. She looked between the two other girls, wondering whether to stay or leave.

_Come on! It can't be that bad! _

"Ok" she finally said.

She put her bag once again on the floor and sat back down on the same chair. As she did so, not sure if it was just imagination, she would have sworn she saw JK smile.


	17. Unacceptable

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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"Muffin?" Bree offered, her flawless smile on.

"Sure!" Lynette took it "This way I save paying for one in the canteen"

"But do tell me what you honestly think of it" Bree asked "I'm trying to get people to taste them. If they're good, I'm making a new batch for tomorrow's cooking club meeting"

"It's delicious!" Lynette exclaimed as she had a bite.

"Is it? But is it delicious like 'I'm just being nice' or delicious like 'Gosh, Bree, everyone's gonna love you for these muffins'?"

"Hey, relax" the blonde giggled.

"It has to be perfect!" Bree insisted "If the rest of the cooking club like them, we'll sell them at the school Christmas party!"

"I'm sure they'll love them"

The two girls went out and sat on their usual spot. The air was very cold; for weeks, there had begun to be frost in the mornings, and it was probably going to start snowing soon. Lynette hugged herself as they both waited for Lee and Mary-Alice, wishing she had brought a bit of a thicker coat. Their two other friends were in the press room, giving the new number of _the FV-Mag_ some new touches before publishing it.

"Can't wait for the Christmas holiday to begin!" the redhead commented.

"It's still like one month away!"

"That's not long" Bree stated as she tied her hair up in her usual, perfect ponytail "The planning of the party has already started, which makes me feel that it's getting closer and closer"

_I wonder why Lee says that this school is so unorganized…_

"I can imagine" the blonde smiled "Sounds like a big thing"

"It's great! It's a bit like Lee's party but without alcohol and loooots of sweets!"

Bree's enthusiasm suddenly faded and her expression became horrified. Lynette noticed that someone was walking into their direction – Edie Britt. The rebel was waving at someone and, instinctively, Lynette turned around to see who was standing behind her.

"Hey Lynette!" Britt smiled as she walked past the two friends.

"Hello!" the blonde greeted back.

She watched the other leave and, once she was already a few meters away, she sensed Bree nudging her. Bree's panic had transformed into shocked surprise.

"Did Edie Britt just say hello to you? Without trying to steal your lunch money or calling you a weird name?"

"Erm… yes"

"But why?!"

Lynette shrugged.

"Why does she even know you?!" Bree wanted to know.

"Well, she came over the other day while I was writing the project with Reilly…" the blonde explained.

The redhead's emerald eyes became twice their size.

"Britt and Reilly are friends?!"

"Looks like that…"

Bree twisted her face. She seemed quite disgusted by the thought.

"I don't know why it surprises me so much though. They're just as bad as each other" she mumbled.

Lynette frowned. She had to try hard not to tell Bree how wrong her prejudices were. Luckily, their friends' arrival saved the moment.

"Printed and ready" Mary-Alice announced "Mona and Dave are giving out the copies"

"And here are your copies" Lee smiled as he handed one copy of the magazine to Bree and another one to Lynette "By the way, Lynette, I loved what you did with the creative corner"

"Thanks"

Miss Tilman cast her eyes over the classroom, looking for her favorite victim.

"Mike Delfino!" she singsonged with her usual, sweet tone "Come to the blackboard, please"

The rebel sighed harshly, but stood up nevertheless. She handed him a chalk.

"Exercise three" she told him "By the way, nice leather jacket. Did you steal it from John Travolta?"

Lynette noticed that Nick Bolen had to press his lips tight together not to burst out laughing. She had to admit that she had also found the teacher's comment funny, although she felt that sometimes she was rather harsh. Mike decided to ignore it and keep correcting his homework.

"God, I hate this class" Bree, who was sitting next to Lynette, whispered "At least it's the last one today!"

The blonde smiled and nodded in response. She was also looking forward to the end of the school day. A small gasp escaped her mouth when she saw a small piece of paper that had just hit her shoulder. She picked it up from the floor and noticed that something was written on it.

Can we meet today after school? I've already started writing. JK.

Lynette glanced at her co-writer, who was also looking into her direction expectantly. As they made eye-contact, the auburn-haired girl bit her lip a little. The other nodded, mouthing the words "Good idea". Reilly nodded back and turned to pay attention to the lesson again.

After a few more mathematical operations and sarcastic comments about Mike Delfino from the teacher, the students were finally released. Lee clicked his tongue as they were walking to their lockers.

"Anyone up for pizza or a milkshake? I think I need something after so much boredom together"

"I don't have much money right now" Mary-Alice pouted.

"I can't go either" Lynette replied "Have to go to Reilly's"

"You're spending a lot of time with her" Bree commented, raising one eyebrow.

"We have a project to do, you know!" she made an effort not the let the annoyance show.

"Of course, of course" Lee chuckled "Confess, you're up to something!"

"What would I be up to?"

"Just drop the act, missy. I know in the end you have considered the investigative journalism I suggested, haven't you?"

"Maybe" the blonde grinned mysteriously.

Lee seemed pleased with this reply. He patted her shoulder in a friendly way. On the inside, Lynette sighed in relief. It was better to tell Lee what he wanted to hear instead of admitting that she was honestly curious to get to know the class outcast better. She could already picture the look on Bree's face if she had the smallest suspicion that they were – God forbid – friends.


	18. Beyond the surface

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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"_So if I only could make a deal with God, I'd beg him to swap our places…_"

Lynette smiled as a loud, high-pitched singing voice invaded her ears. JK was so concentrated on dancing and singing Kate Bush's music that she hadn't seemed to notice that she had just entered her room. As soon as she saw her co-writer standing by the door, Reilly gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Hadn't seen you" she called as she ran to switch off the radio.

"You can go on. It sounded pretty good"

"Thanks" the other replied, avoiding Lynette's eyes.

"Seriously, that was quite good, almost better than the original. You should be in the choir"

"Are you kidding?" JK exclaimed "First of all, they wouldn't let me join. No club at school would accept me; they're all afraid of me. Not to mention that I hate the sort of stuff they sing there"

"Fair enough" Lynette shrugged as she left her rucksack on the floor.

Visibly embarrassed, JK tidied her hair a bit before taking some sheets of paper from a drawer. Then she handed them to Lynette, who had already taken a seat.

"That's what I've written so far. I just felt so inspired that I couldn't help it, even though it was three in the morning"

"Wow! You wrote four pages on your own in the middle of the night?" Lynette gasped.

"Mhm. It's just like some sort of introduction. If you don't like it, we can always change some things"

A wide-eyed Lynette had a look at the pages she had in her hands. The first thing she noticed was that she liked Reilly's handwriting.

"Ok, it's official – you're writing the clean copy" she commented before she began reading.

Although JK's writing wasn't too big, it surprisingly didn't take Lynette too long to read the whole introduction. She had always prided herself in how quickly she could read; moreover, it turned out to be fairly enjoyable.

The story was very imaginative. It mainly described a parallel world and how it was heading for its destruction. There was something poetic and emotional about her writing style.

"I love it!" she said.

"You do?" JK asked, as though she was surprised.

"Yes, it's very beautiful!"

"Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Lynette frowned.

"Whenever I've had to read a composition out loud in front of the class, everyone has told me it was corny and boring"

"What?! Not at all!" the blonde exclaimed "I don't think I had ever seen anyone our age write like that"

Even though it was difficult to judge because of the make-up, which was very pale, Reilly appeared to blush a little upon hearing that compliment.

"Neither have I seen anyone our age appreciate something like this…"

"I have a friend who's in the writing club. I'm sure she'd love this too" Lynette explained.

"Don't. You. Even. Dare"

"What?" Lynette frowned, puzzled.

"If you're going to suggest me joining the writing club, just drop it" JK warned.

"I wasn't going to" she shook her head "I was just saying that Mary-Alice would probably like it"

"Oh… well, Mary-Alice is an exception" Reilly commented "She's pretty intelligent and seems nice. Too bad she hates me, just like everyone else"

"I don't think she does…"

"Perhaps she doesn't – deep down. But she has to, at least make it look like she does. School politics" the auburn-haired girl sighed, looking at her classmate.

Lynette thought for a moment. She hesitated a little before asking:

"Is that also why you and Edie keep your friendship a secret?"

The question seemed to catch JK off guard. Her hazel eyes widening a little, she swallowed.

"Kind of" she explained "Besides, I don't like her group of friends. They're all a bit too… cool, if you know what I mean"

_You bet._

Lynette nodded.

"I talked to them at Lee's party. Carlos seems nice, but I didn't like the girls much"

"He can be; but only in private"

"And you know what I _hated_?" Lynette commented "Their smoking"

"Oh, I hate that too!" JK exclaimed "It's like you can't be popular if you don't take drugs or get wasted. And I really _really_ wish Edie didn't smoke"

"I understand. I don't like cigarettes either. They stink"

"I know, right!" Reilly agreed "I couldn't date someone who smokes"

"Then I guess Delfino would be nothing for you" Lynette joked.

A disgusted expression played across the outcast's face. Lynette smiled on the inside.

"Ew! He's _so_ the opposite of my type!"

"Really? Wow, you must be pretty much the only girl at school who's not drooling all over him" the blonde grinned, feeling somehow proud of her co-writer "Well, apart from Bree"

"Well, no offense to your friend, but I can't even think of her as a sexual being" she tuck an auburn lock behind her ear "And no, I just can't stand Mike Delfino. Today, when Felicia Tilman asked him where he got that ridiculous leather jacket from? That was probably the highlight of my day"

Lynette couldn't hold back a chuckle. If JK only knew to what point she agreed…

"What's your type, then?" she wanted to know.

The other let out a sigh. All about her body language made it clear that she wasn't comfortable with that question.

"You know what? I think we should get to work before it's late" she skirted the topic.

Lynette smiled knowingly, rolling her eyes. She pretty much knew that JK wouldn't want to talk about it; and she respected it. As weird as it might have sounded, there were some things about that girl which reminded her of herself.

The redhead took a sheet of paper and a pen, ready to start a new chapter of their story. Her co-writer was the first one to express her ideas out loud.

"Now that you've spoken about the other world, we could start introducing our main character"

"Seems logical to me" Reilly responded.

"We could start describing a day in his life" Lynette suggested "And he needs a name"

"_He_?" the other wondered "Who said it's a he?"

"Well, I had just assumed… in this sort of books, the main character is usually male"

"See, that's one of the things that bother me" Katherine pointed out "There are also many girls or women who like reading fantasy books, and they'd also wanna feel identified with the heroes"

"Actually, you're right in that. Besides, it's an original idea" the blonde backed "Let's make it a girl"

"Good. I also like your idea of describing a day in _her_ life. We still need a name though"

"How about Penelope?"

"Nah" JK shook her head "It's a very nice, mythological name, but it doesn't really fit to fantasy. We need something a bit more original, like the kind of names in _The Lord of the Rings_"

"I'm not really too good at making up names…"

JK tilted her head, thinking.

"I got it" she said after a while "Ettenyl"

"Sounds nice" her co-writer beamed "What does it mean?"

The redhead half-smiled.

"It's just your name the other way round"

"Oh" Lynette felt that she had blushed slightly and giggled at her silliness "Hadn't realized. But that sounds good for her elf name. I guess she'd need a normal name in the real world"

"Hmm, true. I'll let you choose this one"

"Hmm… Pat? Yeah, that's it. Pat… Parker"

"I see you like names starting with P"

"I do. I think it sounds nice. Besides, having double initials brings good luck" Lynette explained "That's why in my family we all have names that start with L, as our last name is Lindquist"

"Yeah, repeated initials sound good" JK agreed "Pat Parker then. Also known as Ettenyl"

"Ettenyl what else? I think my last name is hard to turn around…"

"Well, people in this sort of stories don't usually have last names. They're just called What's-his-name, son of Whoever. What's your dad's name?"

"Alexander"

"That's also hard to turn" JK frowned "What about your mum?"

"Stella… but I'd rather not be her child. We don't get on very well" she admitted embarrassedly.

"Allets… could work. And it's fine, the fact that we've taken the name doesn't mean the character has to be inspired by her"

"Good"

"Ok" Reilly clapped "What could happen to Pat Parker in one day?"

The team worked surprisingly well. After scarcely an hour, they had already written almost five pages. Therefore, they decided to conclude the chapter, satisfied with their work.

"Shall we have a break?" the redhead offered.

Lynette nodded. After putting the papers aside with the rest of the story they had written, both teenagers went downstairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Reilly had just left for work, so, as usual, they had the house all to themselves.

"You wanna have cocoa, a juice or…?"

"Juice would be alright" the blonde replied.

JK took two glasses from the shelf and a tetra-pack of juice from the fridge. She poured them and slid one to Lynette over the kitchen counter.

"Muffin?" she asked, as she took one from a basket.

"Sure"

She handed the one in her hand at her guest as she took another one for herself. Lynette's eyes came to rest on the black, corset-like top JK was wearing, which embraced her body tightly, emphasizing her slender figure. The more she saw her, the less sense it made to her that the cheerleaders called her Fat Junkie. Absent-minded, she took a bite of the muffin.

"Mmm!" she moaned "It's really good! Your mum must be a great cook"

"My mum didn't bake them. I did" JK corrected.

"Wow, then you're very talented!" Lynette exclaimed.

She couldn't help but think of Bree, who had also offered her a muffin on that day. Too bad Bree had so many prejudices; they could have surely got along quite well. She could already picture them discussing how to make good muffins for hours and hours. Yet she knew how JK would react if she pointed that out to her; so she decided to keep quiet.

"Thanks a lot" Reilly had a bite of hers.

"You're good at many things. I'm jealous" Lynette commented.

"Don't be. I'm not that good; and it's not like anyone appreciates it anyway"

"What about Edie?"

"Well, sometimes" JK admitted.

"By the way, isn't she coming today?"

"We don't really hang out that often…"

"But you guys seemed pretty close the other day"

"We _were_ close. But not that much anymore. She only drops by every once in a while. She doesn't have much time for me"

"So you don't hang out with her in the weekends?" Lynette asked.

Something between a sigh and a chuckle escaped the goth's mouth. Before she spoke, Lynette knew exactly what that meant.

"Hanging out in the weekend? That concept doesn't even exist in my books" she gazed through the window "By the way, you should probably get going soon…"

"Oh" Lynette looked as well "You're right. See you next week then"


	19. Playing games

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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"Ugh! Why are we watching the footballers training?" Bree made a face "It's so boring!"

"Didn't you want a footballer boyfriend?" Lee retorted "Besides, Paul will be happy to see that Mary-Alice is supporting him"

"I get that… but why are the rest of us here? And why do they need our support so much? It's not even a real game!"

"Well, they have an important one on Saturday" Mary-Alice explained.

In spite of their usual disagreements, for once Lynette was on Bree's side. Both girls exchanged knowing, unenthusiastic looks.

"Look, there he is!" Mary-Alice squealed, pointing at Paul, who waved at her from the field before running.

Someone counted loudly. After that, all the footballers became a mass that moved randomly in the same direction, all chasing the ball. While Mary-Alice and Lee cheered, Bree and Lynette just stared at the group, not really knowing what was going on.

"God, I thought I'd be done watching this bore after I broke up with Ty" the redhead groaned.

"Right, he was a footballer too" Lynette said.

"He was… three months of my life going to these pointless games and pretending I cared the least bit…"

"Poor you"

The two giggled in unison. A whistled interrupted them, which made them turn their heads back to the field. The players lined up again and everything started all over.

"What's going on now? Why are they stopping?" the blonde asked.

"See, they have four chances to advance the ball at least ten yards into the others' field" Lee explained "If they fail to get a down they have to start again"

"A down?"

"Gosh, where have you been living before, on the moon?" the boy laughed "A down means advancing ten yards"

Lynette nodded, still not completely sure what that was all about. Mary-Alice shushed them.

"They're starting again"

They all watched as Karl Mayer passed the ball to Paul. His girlfriend let out a high-pitched sound, clutching to Lee's arm.

"Paul's got the ball! He's got it!"

Lee winced a little. The tall girl began jumping, showing her excitement even more.

"Run, Paul! Run!"

He must have heard her, since he started running for his life, successfully avoiding all the other footballers he found on his way, who seemed about to crash him down. In the end, he tossed the ball to the floor triumphantly. Judging by all the hi-fives, together with Lee and Mary-Alice's reactions, Lynette guessed that he had just scored.

"Yay! Touchdown! You rock!" Mary-Alice yelled happily.

"Are you sure you don't want to be a cheerleader?" Lynette joked.

"Shut up!" the big girl whacked her playfully.

Then one of the guys in Paul's team tried to kick the ball through the ball posts. He wasn't that lucky this time, so they started lining up again. Much to Bree and Lynette's horror, the same process seemed to repeat over and over. Their two friends, on the other hand, appeared to be enjoying themselves enormously.

"Bob is so strong in his position, isn't he?" Lee commented.

Mary-Alice nodded.

"He's amazing. I didn't know he was so good"

"Oh, he really is. Go Bob!" Lee shouted.

The boy in question turned around, giving him a sheepish smile. Bree sighed harshly.

"I hate this game. It's nothing but gratuitous violence. Did you know that many footballers have ended up fatally injured or even dead?"

"Not to mention that they'd go a thousand times faster if they didn't have to stop every two minutes" Lynette completed.

"There is a reason why they have to stop" Lee replied "See, each team has four chances to score and-"

"Whatever" the blonde interrupted him "I don't have a footballer boyfriend, so I don't even need to pretend I'm interested"

Bree giggled at that comment, clearly sharing Lynette's feelings about the sport. The other looked at her out of the corner of her eye, grinning.

"I'm starting to understand why people get so drunk during the games"

"Oh, god, Bob!" Mary-Alice covered her mouth with her hand.

"What happened?"

"It actually looked pretty stupid, but he just hit his head" she informed "And pretty badly, it seems"

Lee gasped and run to the field, joining the rest of the players, who were very concerned about Bob. Lynette, however, would have sworn that he looked alright and that the sound coming from her friend's throat had been overly dramatic. Especially judging by the way Bob smiled when he saw Lee coming towards him.

"Hunter, you need to go to the nursery" the coach, Mr. Prudy, said.

"I'll go with him, sir" Lee offered "Someone needs to take care of him in case he faints or something. You guys keep playing"

As the two boys brushed past them on their way to the nursery, Mary-Alice asked.

"Do you need any help?"

"We're fine" Lee called "Just enjoy the rest of the game"

"Enjoy is exactly the word I was thinking" Bree mumbled.

"Does that mean you're not coming to the real game on Saturday?" the tallest girl pouted playfully.

"I don't know" the redhead shrugged "I might, but only because you guys are gonna be there"

"And you, Lynette?"

"No, I don't think I can. I already have plans on Saturday"

"Really? What are you doing?" Mary-Alice wanted to know.

"Oh, it's just… some boring family event" Lynette lied.


	20. Past and present

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Although it might have come off as an excuse not to go to the game, the truth was that Lynette did have a plan for Saturday. Yet no-one knew. In fact, she herself didn't know until the very last minute that she was actually going to do it. The idea had been running through her head since Tuesday, but more than once she had feared that courage would abandon her in the end.

She felt a rush of pride invading her as she rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, a familiar woman opened.

"Morning, Mrs. Reilly! Is Katherine there?" she greeted.

"Yes, she's in her room. I'll call her" the woman headed upstairs "You can come in, by the way"

Lynette did as she said, closing the door behind herself. The radio was on and, judging by the broom that stood against the wall, she must have caught JK's mother in the middle of cleaning. Luckily, the lady didn't seem too bothered. She heard her knock at her daughter's door and announce her presence. It took a couple of minutes until JK came downstairs followed by her mother, visibly surprised to see her.

"Oh, hey. Sorry it took so long, was cleaning up and had to get changed. Have you written a lot?" she asked.

"Actually not" Lynette admitted, rubbing the back of her neck "I just wanted to see if you felt like doing something"

She couldn't help but notice the smile on Mrs. Reilly's face as she picked up the broom again. JK, on the other hand, stared at her a little bewildered.

"If I want to do something?" she repeated.

The blonde nodded.

"I thought you might feel like hanging out… if you have nothing important to do, of course"

"Well, I still haven't finished cleaning my room" Katherine replied.

"It's fine, sweetheart" her mother intervened "I can take care of that"

"No, mum, I'll do it"

"There's no need! You always help me with the cleaning. Why don't you go have some fun with your friend?"

The goth sighed. She turned to face Lynette again and asked.

"Just tell me one thing. Is this one of those situations in which I step out of the house, someone throws a bucket of blood from the roof and everyone laughs or some kind of twisted bet?"

"Katherine, please!" her mother told her off softly "Why do you always think the worst of people?"

"Fine" she snorted "Sorry, Lynette"

"It's alright, I understand you" Lynette responded with a nod "But you really have nothing to worry about. It's just me and I don't have any hidden intentions"

"You see?" Mrs. Reilly interrupted in a singing tone "Lynette is a good girl. Now get out of here and have fun"

"Ok" JK shrugged "I'll go get my stuff and we can go"

As Katherine disappeared upstairs, Mrs. Reilly winked at Lynette. She used her free hand to give her guest a thumb up. That gestured made the teenager smile.

"Ready" JK announced as she came back downstairs with a black bag that matched the rest of her clothes perfectly.

Once out, Lynette asked:

"So, where would you like to go?"

The other girl blinked.

"Where would _you_ like to go?" was her reaction "It was your idea; I assumed it'd be you who wants to go somewhere"

"Not really" Lynette bit her bottom lip "I just thought, as you said that Edie doesn't have time to do anything with you during the weekends, we might hang out together sometime"

She prayed to whoever was up there that she hadn't blushed while saying that. The last thing she wanted was Katherine to think that there was something weird going on.

"So, it's more like… some sort of charity thing, right?" the outcast guessed.

"No!" the blonde exclaimed "Look, we don't even have to hang out if you don't want to…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude or anything" JK apologized, looking down "I'm just not used to this"

"Neither am I… I've only started having a social life this year" Lynette recognized.

"Yeah, right"

Lynette raised her eyebrows.

"You don't believe me?"

"Erm… why would I?" JK said casually "You seem to be a pretty social girl. I bet you used to be one of the popular ones. Class spokesperson, maybe?"

JK's guess almost made Lynette laugh. Maybe she had succeeded in making a different impression.

"If someone had voted for me to be class spokesperson in my former school, trust me, they would have had to take a drug test"

"Well, I would have said cheerleader, but you're a bit too intelligent for that" Reilly continued "In any case, I'm sure you had lots of friends"

This time, Lynette did have to stifle a chuckle. The goth was clearly not that good at judging people.

"My family moves around a lot. I've never spent long enough in a place to make real friends. So I guess that ruins your theory"

"I'm sure everyone liked you though. You don't stick out, you don't offend anyone…"

"I had to work hard on that" the blonde recognized "A few months ago, I was completely different. I'm sure if you asked any kid from my former schools, they wouldn't tell you many nice things about me"

"Oh, so you're trying to say that you were an outcast?" JK furrowed her brow.

"Pretty much. Or a nerd, if you like"

"Now that you mention…" she finally seemed to believe her "It kind of makes sense. I mean, you like fantasy and are quite smart… but I would have never thought you were a geek"

"I made a big effort to hide it, believe me"

The redhead bit her lip, her gaze on the floor.

"Do you like crepes? I know a place where we could go and have some nice ones" she suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good" Lynette smiled "Guide me"

Soon they were in a small, yet cozy place. The sound of milk being turned into foam filled Lynette's ears immediately, just like the smell of sugar and freshly baked goods travelled to her nose, making her instantly hungry. It looked like a typical café, only much more intimate. All the tables, ten at the most, were lined up on the right-hand side, while the whole left-hand side was occupied by a long counter where there were different ingredients to choose from – fruits, ice-cream, chocolate, caramel… A man was picking up some sort of dough with a ladle and pouring it over a griddle, giving it a round shape.

JK lead her to the last table on the row. Seeing her, with her dark and lacy style of clothing, was a stark contrast with the walls of the café, which were painted in baby pink. Except for four or five more people, they were alone. Lynette looked around herself. She actually had no idea what crepes were, but she was ready to try something new; a charming place like that couldn't hurt. She took a seat across the table from her classmate.

"Where's the menu?" she asked.

"What do you need one for? You just go there, see what they have and tell the guy what you want to have in your crepe" JK explained.

The blonde chewed on her bottom lip, embarrassed as she admitted:

"I've never had one of these"

"God, you really don't know what you're missing!" Reilly rolled her eyes playfully as she walked to the counter and ordered.

Five minutes later, she arrived with two plates, each one of them with something that looked like a wrap. Her co-writer looked at it, not completely convinced.

"Just try it" JK told her "You're gonna love it"

Carefully, Lynette cut a piece of it with her fork and knife and took it to her mouth. Something that looked like a chocolate sauce started spreading slightly around the plate, just as it did inside her mouth. She couldn't help but moan. Reilly was right – it was delicious.

"This is amazing!"

"Told ya so. It's _Nutella_. My favourite"

"Wow, you do have a good taste" Lynette said, still tasting the chocolate in her mouth.

"You should try _Nutella_ and banana or _Nutella_ and strawberry" JK recommended "Those are even better. I didn't know whether you liked it though"

"Yeah, bananas and strawberries are alright" the blonde nodded "But this one is already good enough"

"Glad you like it"

They continued eating their crepes in silence for a while.

"So, how did you discover this place?" Lynette wanted to know.

"By chance. I had to buy some stuff for my mum on the same street and thought this café looked nice, so I came a few times"

"On your own?"

"Mostly on my own, but Edie took me here on my last birthday" Katherine explained.

"That's nice of her" Lynette smiled "How did you two actually start to be friends?"

"Well… at detention, two years ago"

Lynette thought she was going to choke on the bite of the crepe she had in her mouth.

"Detention? You got detention?"

The redhead nodded.

"Yeah, our lovely cheerleaders threw a rotten apple at me in the middle of the lesson" she sighed "And Mrs. Greenberg looked exactly when I was throwing it back at them. That's why I stopped responding"

Her listener winced a little. For a moment, she felt angry; angry at school for being so unfair.

"So you just began talking while you were both at detention?"

"Yeah. She's very talkative, so she spoke to me and we found out that we had some… common enemies"

"Oh, I can imagine. But then why didn't you guys join to stand up to the cheerleaders and so on?"

"See, it doesn't work like that" JK explained "Edie's friends would never accept me. It's not like I could join forces with them or anything"

"I understand. In fact, it's already kind of surprising for me that you and Edie are friends. You're so different"

"We are"

"I thought your friends would be more like… well, your style" Lynette bit her lip, feeling that she'd put her foot in it again.

"Goths here in Fairview?" JK chuckled wryly "Dream on"

"Where did you get your style from, then? Don't these things start because of friends' influence?"

"Hey, there are also teenagers who have personalities of their own. Not many, but they exist. Besides, it's not like you wake up one day and decide to become a goth"

"How did it happen in your case?" the blonde wanted to know.

JK sighed, looking down.

"It was mainly because of my father"

"What do you mean?"

"He died five years ago" the redhead replied "I had really rough time. During the funeral and so on I had had to wear black, and suddenly I realized that I couldn't wear anything else. I just wasn't in the mood for bright colors"

"I'm sorry" Lynette said softly "How did it happen?"

"Liver cancer. He was an alcoholic"

"Oh… that's terrible! I know what it's like to live with an alcoholic. My mother is; she gets so horrible when she's high"

"My dad was not like that" JK shook her head "He was a good man. He never hurt my mum or me"

Lynette let out a sigh.

"You're lucky in that department. My sisters and I constantly get yelled at… or even worse" she rolled up her sleeve, revealing a small scar at the back of her arm "See that? I got three stitches after my mum threw a bottle at me"

The redhead winced.

"I didn't know that…"

"It's fine; I don't usually talk about it" Lynette explained.

"Doesn't your father do anything to protect you?"

"He died ten years ago. That's when my mother started drinking"

She felt JK's hand reaching for hers across the table. The outcast held her hand in a friendly way.

"I'm so sorry for you…"

"It's alright" Lynette smiled gently "It's been a long time. Besides, I like to think that what doesn't kill me makes me stronger"

"That's a good philosophy" JK nodded.


	21. Taboo topics

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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"So, how was the weekend?" Mary-Alice smiled "How was that family event you talked about? Hope it wasn't too annoying…"

Lynette bit her lip. She had to think for a second to find the right lie to tell her friend.

"It wasn't too bad. My little sister was celebrating her birthday" she explained.

"How old is she?"

"Nine"

"I've always wanted to have a sister" Bree sighed "An older one though"

"Nine is one of the most annoying ages" Lee chuckled "I'm sorry for you, Lynette"

"It's alright. She's not too bad most of the time"

Winter had already made its first appearances in Fairview. It had already taken away the leaves and the wind made it harder to stay outside. That's why the four friends were not in their usual spot by the steps, but they were spending the whole recess in the cafeteria. It wasn't so much fun without seeing everyone, but at least it was warmer.

Lee bit his apple, his eyes scanning the whole place to find some juicy gossip. He didn't seem to succeed, so the conversation simply continued.

"I feel lucky to be an only child" he said "I already have enough with my little cousins when I visit them in Chicago"

"You couldn't live without being the center of attention, right?" Mary-Alice teased.

Lee was going to whack her playfully when someone distracted his attention.

"Bob! What are you doing here?" he cleared his throat.

"Hey Lee, girls!" the footballer greeted "I just wanted to, um, talk to you about something"

"To me? _Now_?" Lee exclaimed.

Bob rubbed the back of his neck. Lynette looked between him and Lee. Was it just fantasy or did things get really weird whenever those two were in the same place?

"It's something for the _FV-Mag_" the dark-haired boy finally said "I have some gossip for you"

"Oh!" Lee exclaimed "That's great! Let's… go to the press room and talk there"

He stood up. The other boy smiled as they both walked away from the rest of the group.

"Those two are really becoming friends" Bree commented "Bob is nice"

"He is" Mary-Alice agreed "I've been seeing him a lot lately"

"Is he close to Paul?" Lynette asked.

"No, not really. It's mainly because of Lee, actually. He gets on really well with Paul though"

"By the way, how are things going between you guys?" Bree wanted to know with a smile.

Mary-Alice's cheeks turned red as a sheepish smile spread across her face. Knowing that it could only mean something good, Bree and Lynette couldn't repress a giggle.

"Things are going great, actually" she finally replied "But there's something I wanted to talk to you guys about"

"Of course! Go ahead!"

The tall girl bit her lip, clearly embarrassed.

"It's something kind of… personal" she said "Paul and I have grown very close and… well, we've been wondering whether we should get even closer"

"Closer like what?"

"You know… physically closer"

Lynette understood it right away. She swallowed hard and toyed a little with her food, hoping she hadn't blushed. Bree, on the other hand, had to think for some time before she knew what it was about. A loud gasp escaped her mouth.

"Mary-Alice! You can't be serious!"

"Well, we've already been dating for some months…"

"Exactly! _Dating_, not married" Bree pointed out.

"Isn't it a bit too early to talk about getting married?" Mary-Alice commented.

"Well, then it is also a bit too early to talk about… that" the redhead seemed disgusted only by the word itself.

The taller blonde rolled her eyes.

"What's so wrong with that?"

"What's wrong?! No self-respecting woman would sleep with a man before marriage" Bree stated "I thought you valued yourself more than that"

"I value myself" Mary-Alice shrugged "But that doesn't mean I don't want to… well, have a good time with my boy"

"Oh my god! You're sounding like a slut!" the redhead exclaimed, her big eyes widening more than Lynette had ever seen.

Mary-Alice sighed. If Lynette hadn't been so concentrated on her yoghourt, she would have seen her toying uncomfortably with her hair.

"Yeah, well… I think that's a far too strong word…"

"True, and I wouldn't want to associate it with my best friend" Bree continued "Frankly, I think you should just stick to what you have now. Isn't hugging and kissing fun enough?"

The color on Mary-Alice's face matched Bree's hair. The latter almost choked on the milk she was drinking.

"You mean you've gone past that?"

Mary-Alice tucked some strands of her sandy blonde hair behind her ear. A cough was her only reply, but that was enough to make Bree freak out even more.

"I can't believe it!"

"Hey, don't make such a fuss! It was only a hand-"

"I. Don't. Want. Details!" Bree yelled "How could you even let him see you naked yet? Don't you know that no-one would buy a cow if they have milk for free?"

"Come on, Bree! It's not such a big deal! Is it, Lynette?"

Lynette held back a gasp. Until that moment, she had been happy keeping herself out of that conversation. All the topics related to boys and sex made her feel terribly uncomfortable and anxious. Not in the same way as Bree, but much to the contrary. She had never had a boyfriend or any kind of interest in any boy, and she was fine with that. Nevertheless, whenever one of the few friends she had ever had brought the topic up, she couldn't help but feel a certain bitterness. She still saw the fact that she had no experience at all in that feel as evidence that there was something wrong with her.

"No, of course not!" she finally answered, still avoiding eye contact.

"See?" Mary-Alice said triumphantly "You don't think there's anything wrong with petting after a few months into the relationship, right?"

She wasn't even sure what the word petting exactly meant. She looked between her two friends, who were both staring at her. Bree still had the same shocked expression on her face, while Mary-Alice was smiling encouragingly, waiting for Lynette's support. The blonde just didn't know what to say.

"Well… I guess no"

The taller girl looked pleased. The redhead couldn't repress one more gasp.

"Does that mean you've also done something like that?!"

Much to her chagrin, Lynette sensed color taking over her cheeks once again, probably even stronger than before. If there was something she was sure of, it was that she wouldn't answer that question. Luckily or unluckily, Mary-Alice interpreted this the wrong way.

"Wow, Lynette! That makes me feel better" she giggled "You see, Bree? It's completely normal"

The third girl shook her head, still trying to process the information. In the end, Lynette simply smiled awkwardly, not wanting to correct it. What was worse – to come off as a slut for Bree's standards or to admit that she was a prudish weirdo? She decided that being ambiguous was the best option.


	22. The truth about the darkness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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"Ok, it's official – this chapter is the best one we've had so far!" JK exclaimed.

Lynette couldn't hide her smile. She was proud of having been able to write something that had impressed JK so far. She admired the goth's style, so hearing such a comment from her was a pretty big compliment.

"Did you really like it so much?"

Reilly nodded.

"I think we're really taking an interesting direction. If we keep writing so much, I think we'll finish this soon"

"Then that means we can take it easy now" Lynette pointed out.

Her co-writer seemed rather surprised by that comment. The blonde tried to find a way to fix what she had just said, thinking – as usual – that she had put her foot in it.

"Well, if we know that we're gonna hand it in on time… we just shouldn't stress ourselves out…"

"I know what you mean" JK interrupted "I just thought that you would want to finish it as soon as possible"

"No! Well, I just hope we'll finish it in time to hand it in; mainly before we're busy studying for the finals and so on. But I'm actually enjoying it"

"Oh, me too" Reilly agreed "But well, I always enjoy creative writing"

"And it's so much fun with you"

Lynette had just said that without thinking. The redhead froze for a second, looking shocked. She then cleared her throat as she took out some more sheets of paper from a drawer.

"It's also nice to work with you" she said, her gaze on the papers she had in her hands "Good to see that there's someone who's willing to discuss things and who _can_ actually write"

"Why, thank you"

The blonde grinned. She felt really flattered; she knew how hard it must be for JK to say such nice things to anyone, or to even hear something like that.

"Anyway" Reilly spoke "We should start planning the next chapter. Our heroine needs a friend, and I was thinking they could turn up soon"

"Yeah, I like that" Lynette nodded "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, remember that we talked about magical creatures? We still haven't introduced a single one, so it might be interesting to have one be best friends with our Ettenyl"

"Hmm… another elf?" the blonde suggested.

"I dunno… that might be a bit too obvious, don't you think? Besides, I was talking about creatures as in animals"

"Right, so you're thinking of something mythological like… a faun or a unicorn?"

"Ugh, unicorns are so girly!" Katherine grimaced "Nothing personal against them, but that's like the kind of thing cheerleaders would write… And a faun would be too similar to _Narnia_"

"Good point!"

Resting her elbow on the desk and her head on her fist, Lynette tried to think of other creatures they could use for their fantasy book. Distractedly, she cast her eyes over the room. At that moment, she noticed something she had pretty much ignored in spite of the many afternoons she had already spent there. Reilly had many dragon figurines decorating her shelves, both Chinese and classical. That made her smile. Inspiration had just kicked in.

"I got it! How about a dragon?" she startled.

It was easy to see that Reilly liked the idea right away.

"Dragons! Why didn't that occur to me?" she clapped gently on the table "I love dragons!"

"I had noticed" Lynette smiled "That's why I thought you'd approve of my idea"

"Sure I do! Wait, I can already picture this – she's already falling down the cliff and, in the very last moment, when she thinks she's gonna die, bang! Something saves her… and it turns out to be a dragon"

"Yeah, that's a good one! I like the use you're making of my cliffhanger"

"It was a great idea anyway"

Unfortunately, that moment of inspiration was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. JK sighed. They were alone, which meant that they'd have to answer anyway.

"I'll be right back" she announced as she stood up.

Lynette sat back on the chair, feeling satisfied. Why deny it? She was indeed enjoying their work and was delighted that it was the same for JK. A few minutes later, as she hadn't come back, she thought maybe she should go downstairs and check that everything was alright, especially knowing the stories she had heard. For a moment, she worried that the boys at school might have come back to play some prank. Nevertheless, when she got there, the only person apart from them in the room was Edie.

"Hey Lynette!" the blonde waved "How's the book going?"

"Very well, actually"

"Carlos and I haven't even started yet" Edie chuckled "I was just wondering if you guys would like to have a hot chocolate"

"Yeah, it's the perfect day for that" JK admitted "And well, we do deserve a break" she added, looking at her co-writer.

Lynette nodded, her lips slightly curled. Pleased, Edie waited for the other two to pick up their stuff before guiding them to a hidden café that was just two streets away from JK's house.

"Best. Hot. Chocolate. In. Town" Edie told them as they sat down.

"I thought you weren't into chocolate" Lynette remarked.

"I am. In winter, when it's cold. The rest of the time, I'd rather have something else. Have to stay in shape, you know?"

"Do you play some sport or something?"

"Not unless you count sex" JK intervened.

Lynette's eyes widened at her bluntness. She couldn't help but think of the awkward conversation she had had a week before with Bree and Mary-Alice. Edie simply narrowed her eyes and whacked Reilly playfully.

"You're so nice! Now, only because of that, it's you who has to order!"

The outcast rolled her eyes, but stood up nevertheless and made her way to the bar. Lynette observed, a little confused by the scene. Edie didn't seem too offended by JK's comment. If it had been Bree or Mary-Alice, they would have probably freaked out. It occurred to her that, even though her school friends probably had known each other for a longer time and their relationship seemed more 'normal', meaning that they didn't need to keep their friendship a secret, JK and Edie gave the impression to be much closer than them.

"Kath told me you went with her for a crepe on Saturday" Edie brought her back to reality.

"Yeah. It was delicious! I didn't even know those things existed"

"Yeah, Kath has a great taste. But she told me it was your idea to do something together"  
"Oh… well, yeah" Lynette blushed slightly "I thought it'd be nice"

"It sure was. Kath was really happy when I talked to her"

Deep inside, Lynette was glad to hear that. It was a joy to think that she had done something good for JK. On the other hand, she felt strangely jealous of Edie. She had always seen her co-writer being rather apathetic; it was kind of hard to imagine her being enthusiastic about something. Hopefully, if she got to know her better, there'd be a moment in which she'd let her emotions show, like she did with Edie.

"You should ditch your friends and hang out with her more often" the rebel went on.

"What's wrong with Bree and Mary-Alice?" Lynette wondered.

"Please, don't get me started on Bree. And Mary-Alice… well, she's the definition of boredom to me"

"They are really nice! You just don't know them at all" the blonde frowned.

"You still could do better…"

"Yeah, right, like hanging out with the cheerleaders?"

Edie couldn't help but laugh.

"Unless you're a masochist who enjoys being stabbed on the back, I wouldn't recommend it. Anyway, I think you'd be better off with JK. You guys seem to have a lot in common; and seriously, once the ice is broken, she's a lot of fun"

"Then why do you two keep your friendship a secret if you like her so much?" Lynette wanted to know.

The other girl sighed, running a hand through her long blonde hair.

"You wouldn't understand it"

"If it's because of all this stuff about her not being one of the cool kids, then I honestly don't get the difference between you and the cheerleaders"

"Wow! Look at you!" Edie exclaimed "You don't seem that outspoken at school. Let me answer your question with another question – why do _you_ pretend you don't even know Kath when you're at school?"

Lynette looked down. That had just caught her off-guard. She wasn't exactly proud of the only explanation she had…

"I'm the newbie, you know" she replied "People don't yet know me and it'd be really hard to make friends if I started hanging out with an outcast"

"Who's the cheerleader now?"

The new girl sighed, feeling slightly ashamed of herself. Edie stifled a little chuckle.

"It's pretty much the same for all of us, I guess"

"The thing is that I do like JK" Lynette recognized "I just don't understand why everyone treats her like that…"

"Ironically, you could say it was because she got involved with the wrong people" Edie explained "You wouldn't believe me if I told you who her best friend in first year was…"

"Who?"

"Susan Bremmer"

Lynette blinked, not sure whether she had heard it right. She gazed across the place to JK, who was still queuing at the bar, giving her back to them. It was just impossible to imagine her being friends with Susan.

"Susan? The cheerleader?"

"That one" Edie nodded "Kath wasn't that dark back then, and Susan wasn't a cheerleader yet. They were both new at school, like you. Like everyone else, in fact. They used to get on very well… until something had to come between them. A boy"

"Please, don't tell me it was Karl Mayer!" Lynette exclaimed.

"No. It was Mike Delfino"

"JK dated Mike?"

"Hell no!" Edie grimaced "But Susan had a crush on him… and she still does. The problem was that Mike wasn't into her, but into Kath"

"And she was into him too?" Lynette tried to guess.

"No, not at all! In fact, she didn't even know. But Susan did, and that was reason enough for her to be jealous of her friend. And to make it even worse, the cheerleading team chose her, so she started spending a lot of time with Gabby Marquez, who's a little bitch"

"So it was all Gabrielle's fault, then?"

"Sort of. Susan decided to trust her and Marquez started putting ideas in her head"

"What kind of ideas?"

"You know, the typical girly drama – that Katherine would steal Mike from her and that she was not a real friend… that hanging out with her wouldn't be good for her reputation now that she was a cheerleader…"

"Oh god!" Lynette bit her lip "So then they started ignoring her?"

"Even worse – they started to spread rumors about her and the whole school began making fun of her"

"That's awful!"

"It was. Especially being betrayed by her best friend" Edie agreed.

"But what I don't understand is – if then Susan started going out with Karl, why does she keep bullying JK? And why hasn't the same happened to Angie Vitale, for example?"

"It wasn't exactly the same situation. First of all, Angie Vitale only started going to this school in our third year. Susan and Karl were already dating, so it would have been weird if she had started messing with someone just because she was Mike Delfino's girlfriend. Besides, Angie is a lot more aggressive – she wouldn't hesitate to kick your ass if you annoy her. And bullying Reilly has become like some sort of tradition. Once you've managed to make believe all the kids at school that someone is a weirdo, it's very difficult to get that out of their heads"

"It still doesn't make sense!"

"No… it makes even less sense if you think that Kath never had any interest in Mike. She was never a rival and she'll never be…"

Lynette was going to ask what she meant, but JK arrived at that very moment with their chocolates.

"There you go! God, this place is so crowded!" she exclaimed as she handed them their mugs and sat down "So what were you guys talking about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just chit-chatting" Edie replied nonchalantly.


	23. Worst of both worlds

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Like every Wednesday, Lynette and her group of friends were going to _Scavo's_ together, which was always an incentive. She was as excited about it as on the very first day when she joined them; yet she didn't know this week would be different…

While she was by her locker, leaving what she didn't need anymore and taking what she would use next, she heard someone cursing, barely a whisper. She turned around and noticed Reilly sighing harshly, seemingly searching something in her leather bag. Looking around herself to make sure there was no-one else, she approached her.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I forgot my keys" the goth replied "And my mum is working late today, so I have to wait for at least one more hour to go home"

Lynette winced. Something similar had happened to her many times. Her mother had often been too drunk to pick her or her sisters up from school. Sometimes, even when the girls were young and still couldn't cook for themselves, Stella had gone out and not come back home until it was already dark or she had run out of money to spend in alcohol. At least in JK's case it was just an unfortunate coincidence.

"Do you like pizza?" she suggested in the end "We were meeting this afternoon anyway; why don't you come with us to the pizzeria? This way you don't have to just wander the streets until your mother gets home"

JK's hazel eyes opened wide, a skeptical spark shining in them.

"Are you sure you want to mix me with your friends?"

"Well, why not?" Lynette shrugged "They are nice"

"It's not like I don't trust your judgment, but I don't think they'd be very happy to have me there"

"It'd be just a couple of hours; I don't think they'll mind"

The outcast sighed.

"I don't know, Lynette"

"Come on! If it's too bad, you can always leave…"

"But I don't think it'll work. Aren't you afraid of what they'll say if you turn up there with me?"

In Lynette's ears, that question didn't sound at all like an accusation. There was a note of vulnerability in JK's voice, and she could hear it. She couldn't help but feel a bit touched by that. A part of her wanted to reassure her and tell her that she did not care about the others' opinions, and even more important – that she was starting to see her as one more of her friends. However, she knew that Reilly would be taken aback by such an answer… and she probably wouldn't believe it anyway.

"Well, they know we're writing a project together, don't they?" she merely said "If we explain to them what has happened, they'll understand"

"They'll make fun of me" JK shook her head.

"They won't! I'll make sure they behave" Lynette reassured her "Now let's go"

Although she was still visibly unsure, the goth nodded and followed Lynette. The rest of the group was already at the pizzeria, sitting at their usual table. When they noticed their blonde, they started waving at her… then they saw the other girl and their gasps could almost be heard from the door. Biting her lip, Lynette gave JK a look, trying to tell her not to let that put her off. Her co-writer looked down and walked behind her, dragging her feet.

Of course, all eyes were on JK as they both joined them at the table. Without uttering a word, all their gazes and their body language made clear that they were wondering why she was there. Lynette felt that it was her job to break the ice.

"Hey guys!" she greeted a little nervously "Reilly and I are meeting this afternoon to work in the project and I… um… thought she could have lunch with us, if it's ok. Her mother is not home"

"Yeah, it's… fine" Mary-Alice replied, still recovering from the initial shock.

After ordering, Lynette looked at her friends. While Bob appeared very distracted, Paul was focusing his attentions on Mary-Alice, although not as strongly as usual. His girlfriend, on the other hand, couldn't help but glance curiously at Reilly from time to time. The goth had a menu in her hand, which she was studying meticulously. No-one spoke. Even Lee, who was usually a chatterbox, was completely silent, his eyes travelling quickly from one friend to another. As for Bree, she just seemed completely frozen in fear.

"Why are you all so quiet?" the blonde wondered, trying to make conversation "It looks like you had just seen a ghost"

"Something like that" Lee mumbled, earning a kick from Bob below the table.

Lynette pressed her lips tightly together, watching Reilly out of the corner of her eye. She didn't want her co-writer to feel ostracized or unwanted and therefore leave. JK, nevertheless, was apparently lost in her own world.

"So, how's everything?" Lynette asked again "Any interesting news?"

"Oh, yes!" Lee exclaimed excitedly "We were actually talking about it before you arrived. Guess who's throwing a Christmas party!"

"You're kidding! Another party in your place?" she smiled "I'm so looking forward to it!"

"You should, it's gonna be the best Christmas party ever! And you are all inv-" at that point, Lee noticed JK again "Erm… I mean, if I do celebrate it in the end, which I don't know…"

"Don't worry; I wasn't counting on being included" the outcast said inexpressively, looking at Lee over her menu.

The boy looked down, guilt written all over his face. Again, an awkward silence took over, interrupted only when Mr. Scavo brought Lynette and JK's plates. At least, as they started eating, there was an excuse to be silent. That made the atmosphere seem a little less tense.

"Is your pizza good, JK?" Mary-Alice asked.

"Yeah" she answered dryly.

On the inside, Lynette smiled, happy that at least there was one person trying to make the situation less awkward. Too bad it wasn't successful. During the whole time they spent at the pizzeria, which seemed like an eternity, any kind of conversation they had was reduced to small talk, followed by extremely long pauses. Bree, for instance, didn't open her mouth at all.

Both JK and Lynette breathed in relief as soon as they got out. They started making their way to Reilly's in silence.

"I told you I wouldn't fit in" the goth was the first to speak.

"Come on! It wasn't that bad, was it?"

Seeing the skeptical expression on JK's face, Lynette sighed.

"Ok, it was a little awkward" she admitted.

"A little awkward? It was probably the most awkward moment in my life" Katherine exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it'd be so hard for you all. But they were not that mean, were they?"

"Maybe not with words. But just the way they all looked at me, especially Bree…"

They were already standing by JK's door. The redhead rang the doorbell, hoping her mother would already be there.

"Hello girls!" the woman greeted.

"Hello Mrs. Reilly!" Lynette answered.

As usual, the two teenagers went straight to Katherine's room, ready to start writing a new chapter of their story. Lynette rubbed the back of her neck, closing the door behind herself with her other hand.

"I don't think it was all that terrible. At least Mary-Alice tried to make conversation with you" she pointed out.

"Well, yeah… small talk…"

"See, that's one of the things that bother me" the blonde narrowed her eyes, rather irritated "You're complaining that they weren't nice to you, but it's not like you made an effort yourself"

"It would have been in vain…"

"How do you know if you haven't even tried?"

"It's not worth it" JK snapped "Why should I try to be nice to people I don't like? They're not going to like me, no matter what I do. And frankly, I don't care"

"You don't know them at all!" Lynette retorted "How can you be so sure that you don't like them? And I just thought maybe if they got to know you a bit better, they'd like you too"

"What do you mean, too?"

"Well, I like you"

JK's cheeks flushed a little as the shadow of a smile covered her face.

"I… don't mind you either"

She tried to hide it and seem indifferent, but Lynette could see it. The blonde smiled triumphantly as she brushed some hair away from her face and took the notebook out of her rucksack. Something deep inside was telling her that she had just knocked down a wall. And quite a big one.


	24. Christmas Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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The Christmas lights and decoration could be seen from the end of the street. All houses were starting to look like that, but the McDermott residence was by far the most noticeable. On top of the roof, the words "HAPPY X-MAS" could be read clearly, probably even from a helicopter, Lynette thought to herself. In the yard, a group of reindeers were standing, directed by Santa Claus himself, or rather a plastic version of him.

"Helloooo! Merry Christmas there!" Lee greeted, his Santa Claus hat slightly falling to the side as he stepped aside to let his friends in.

Once inside, Lynette noticed that the decoration was just as eye-catching as on the outside. Bells, mistletoes and heart-shaped garlands were hanging from the walls and the ceiling. Everything was white or red, and swing versions of classical carols came from a cassette.

"Wow, Lee, this looks so beautiful!" Bree commented, looking around herself with bright eyes.

"Thank you. I see helping my mum hang all this crap up was worth it after all" the boy smiled.

They were all dressed in red, even Bree, who always claimed not to like the color because it made her nervous and didn't suit her. Unlike the time before, Mary-Alice and Paul had managed to convince Bree to go a bit later, so some guests were already there when they arrived. Unfortunately, not the most amusing ones.

"Bob, I'm glad you've come, too!" Lee greeted happily, giving the footballer a friendly punch on the shoulder, which for some reason didn't look too convincing.

"Yeah, here I am" Bob chuckled "I was going to come with the rest of the team, but you know, they're always late…"

"Finally, someone who knows how important it is to be punctual!" Bree exclaimed.

All the friends laughed as they made their way to the snacks and drink table. This time, however, there were no snacks, but only beverages and a big bawl with a red, steaming liquid in the middle.

"What's that?" Lynette asked.

"I don't know what it's called" Lee replied "But it's something European. My aunt gave me the recipe. It has wine, cinnamon, lots of sugar, some other spices and some fruit, all heated up"

"Sounds like that _sangria_ thing you had last time, only hot" Mary-Alice joked.

"Pretty much, actually. Wanna try it?"

"You know we don't drink, Lee" Bree pointed out "We're intelligent enough not to need any alien substances to have fun"

"Yes, sir" Lee teased, saluting his friend in a soldier-like manner "Don't worry, guys, you know I also have non-alcoholic beverages, as usual. Always the best for my dearest friends!"

"So lovely of you!" Mary-Alice laughed.

"By the way, Lee. The girls in the baking club are coming any minute" Bree announced "We baked some muffins and other sweets and we were planning on selling them. Hope it's alright"

"Of course it is, Bree! That's why I didn't get any sweets or snacks this time"

"Bless you!" the redhead beamed.

"No problem, dear. And please, go get yourselves something to drink!"

They did as he said. While she poured some coke into her plastic glass, Lynette looked around herself. This time they had managed to convince Bree to go there a bit later, so they were not the only ones at the party. The class representatives seemed very concentrated on something they were discussing. She didn't know why, but there was something about Carolyn's body language that bothered her. Even when she was smiling, she seemed overassertive and a bit psychotic. The same could be said about her listener, Maisy. Apart from them, Lynette didn't know anyone else in the room. Lee was walking amongst them, giving them friendly smiles and asking whether everything was ok.

As the blonde had a sip of her coke, she felt Mary-Alice's hand on her shoulder, making her snap out of her thoughts.

"Come with us, we're going to the couches"

Lynette swallowed and nodded, following the taller girl to the couches, where Bree and the rest were sitting. She didn't recall them being there the last time she had been to one of Lee's parties.

"I'm so looking forward to the Christmas holiday!" Bree exclaimed "I love Christmas"

"Who doesn't?" Bob commented "I think I'm finally getting some new equipment"

The redhead didn't seem too enthusiastic about that answer. Proof of that was the way she rolled her turquoise eyes.

"Why does everyone think of the presents right away? The best thing about Christmas is spending it with family"

"Well, I spend the whole year with my family… it's not such a big deal" the footballer rubbed the back of his neck.

"But Christmas is special" Bree insisted "Everything is much calmer and the whole family gathers together to celebrate… Besides, this year I'm allowed to cook New Year's Eve dinner" she smiled proudly.

Her friends exchanged sly looks. Clearly, no-one shared Bree's excitement for cooking. Lynette, in fact, didn't even share their excitement for Christmas. It had stopped being special since her father died and her mother began drinking. Except for the presents, provided Stella remembered to buy them, there were no significant differences between that time and any other day of the year. At the most, her mother had even more sentimental excuses to get wasted, which of course she didn't hesitate to use. However, Lynette decided to get rid of those thoughts and enjoy the party.

It didn't take too long for the other guests to arrive. Soon the place was full of loud footballers and a group of giggling cheerleaders. Yet there was still no trace from the rebels. Bree was busy selling muffins with her friends from the baking club. They were quite successful, actually. Almost everyone in the room had one in their hand. Lynette herself was enjoying one as well, but she couldn't help thinking that it was not as good as JK's. While Paul and Mary-Alice danced and Lee entertained the different groups, Bob had become Lynette's only company. He was rather shy and serious, so she didn't know much what to talk about with him.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" was the only thing that occurred to her.

The way Bob's face froze when he heard the question made Lynette wonder whether she had just named the devil. She pressed her lips tight together, already regretting what she had said.

"No" Bob finally replied "Why do you wanna know?"

"Just wondering" she shrugged "I thought all footballers were usually taken"

"Well, I'm not. Now you know. And you? Umm… a boyfriend, I mean"

Lynette shook her head.

"Oh. That's… good, I guess" Bob responded "Do you…?" he swallowed "Do I have to do anything?"

"Like what?" the blonde frowned, clueless what that was about.

"Like… asking you out?" he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh! Hell no!" Lynette exclaimed "Sorry. Don't get me wrong – you're a nice guy… and handsome. And I suppose dating a footballer would be really good for my status or whatever, but I'm not interested"

Bob did not seem offended at all. Actually, Lynette would have sworn that he had just sighed in relief.

"It's fine. I'm not interested in you either. No offense"

"None taken"

"Good" he smiled, visibly still embarrassed "I… erm, I'm gonna go hang out with the boys for a while"

"Great. Have fun!"

Truth to be told, Lynette was just as glad as he was to get away from that awkward moment. For worse or for better, right after that, something happened to make both of them forget.

A loud knock on the door, even louder than the music that was playing, announced someone's arrival. Lee waltzed across the room to answer. However, the smile was quickly wiped away from his face when he saw a middle-aged woman standing on the doorstep. Time seemed to stop for a moment as all the guests watched the scene, frozen.

"Mrs. Mason!" he greeted "Is everything alright?"

"Hello Lee!" the woman greeted back, politely "Is Bree there by any chance?"

Before Lee had a chance to reply, the redhead rushed to the door; a shocked, embarrassed expression was playing across her face.

"Eleanor! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question, young lady!" Mrs. Mason crossed her arms in front of her chest "Weren't you supposed to be having a sleepover at Mary-Alice's?"

The girl wanted to protest, but in the end she just stayed silent, looking down. Mrs. Mason continued scolding her.

"I called Mrs. Forrest and she said she didn't know anything about a sleepover! And that a boy had picked Mary-Alice up to go to a Christmas party! After we clearly told you that you couldn't go to Lee's party!"

"I'm sorry…"

"That won't get you out of this mess" Mrs. Mason grabbed Bree by the wrist, pulling her out of the house "We're going home. And you're coming too, Mary-Alice"

The blonde sighed, giving a look at Paul as she let go of his hand. While they both left the house, embarrassed, feeling many eyes on them, Lynette saw Mary-Alice rub Bree's shoulder as she said:

"Don't worry; everyone will have forgotten about it after the Christmas break"

Once Mrs. Mason closed the door behind them, the party continued. Of course, some comments were heard around the room, but a few minutes later everything was the way it had before the event. The cliques got back together as the music kept playing for couples to dance. Moreover, the rebels' arrival drew everyone's attention instantly.

"Oh my god! Mike!" Gabrielle Marquez squealed, nudging Susan.

Lynette couldn't help but roll her eyes. With all her friends gone and Lee taking care of the guests, she thought about leaving the party. No-one would miss her much, she though. In any case, she had better things to do than hear the cheerleaders swoon over Mike Delfino. A malicious smile played across her face when she saw that Angie Vitale had also entered the room.

"Damn! Why did that bitch have to come as well?" the latina whined.

Shaking her head, the blonde went outside to get some fresh air. Maybe she could also sneak out discreetly, without Lee begging her to stay. He had plenty of distraction to need her there so much anyway.

In the cold air of the night, she could see her own breath. The sky had a light color, which indicated that it would probably start snowing any minute. She held herself, rubbing her arms to warm herself up. A familiar voice behind her made her turn.

"Hey there! You already leaving?"

Carlos Solis was standing by the backdoor, a cigarette in his hand. Lynette smiled sheepishly, as though he had just caught her doing something she shouldn't.

"Hey" she replied "I don't know… my friends are gone…"

"Well, that's a good chance to make some new ones" he winked and stepped closer to her, grabbing her arm "Come on!"

He had a really nice smile. There was something sweet about it. In spite of the cigarette and strong arms, which she could feel as he took her arm; his black, curly hair and his grin made him look like a little boy.

"I don't know" she repeated.

Before she knew, he had pulled her into the room and taken her to the dancefloor. Although a bit insecure at the beginning, she found herself dancing with him and actually enjoying it. He moved really well. That made her think that maybe the stereotype was true that latinos had the rhythm in their blood. On the other hand, she was thankful that the music was so upbeat – she wouldn't have felt comfortable dancing to a ballad with a boy she wasn't even dating. For some reason, she had the impression that such a thing would go against the rules. Or maybe she just didn't want her personal space to be invaded. No, things were fun the way they were at that moment.

A few songs later, Carlos's friends came claiming him to do something outside. They probably had some ganja again or something like that, Lynette was sure. She excused herself saying that she was thirsty and headed for the table to get some coke. That was not entirely an excuse though; dancing had indeed made her want something to drink.

"Hey Lynnie!" a girly voice called her from behind as she was pouring some coke.

She turned around to face, as she had expected, Gabrielle Marquez and Susan Bremmer standing there, both smiling. She smiled back at them, not sure what their intentions might be.

"Hey…"

"We saw you dancing. Who knew you were so good!" Gabrielle exclaimed "Too bad you didn't do the try-outs in the end"

"Erm… thank you" she replied, feeling totally convinced that Gabby was just exaggerating.

"And we didn't know you were dating Carlos Solis" Susan completed, earning a nudge from Gabby.

_Oh. So that's what it's all about._

As that thought dawned on her, an alarm rang in her head. She had to be very careful with her answer. She wasn't sure why the cheerleaders were so interested to know whether she was dating Carlos or not, but it worried her to think that, depending on what she said, she might become JK Reilly 2.0.

"I'm not. He just… asked me to dance"

"Do you like him?" Susan shot.

"He's a nice guy"

"Come on! You know exactly what I mean by _like_" the brunette insisted "If he asked you to date him, would you say yes?"

Lynette quickly shook her head. To be honest, she had no idea what she would say – mainly because she was sure he would _never_ ask her out – but she had the notion that she had to say no. And her gut feeling was right. The shorter cheerleader flashed her a smile where a trace of relief could be seen.

"We're just friends" the blonde explained.

"Of course! He's a cool guy" Gabrielle grinned.

"I suppose"

The conversation froze for a moment. Clearly, they didn't have enough things in common to mingle for more than a couple of seconds.

"A great party, isn't it?" the latina tried to break the ice.

"Yeah, very good"

"Lee's parties are always awesome" Susan intervened "But that's because Lee is awesome"

"And he's a good friend of yours, isn't he?" Gabrielle pointed out.

Lynette nodded.

"Oh yeah, we noticed. He always invites you to his parties" the small girl continued "He always invites all the cool people"

"Er… yeah, I noticed that too…"

Another awkward moment of silence was enough to chase them away. As the two cheerleaders moved away from her, giggling and whispering, Lynette sighed and took the plastic glass back to her lips. She never really knew what to think whenever they spoke to hear. Apparently, a voice behind her seemed to have everything very clear.

"Don't you love how false they are? Talking to you just when you want something or when they think you're cool? Bitches…"

Giving a start, the blonde turned to see Edie Britt standing behind her, a bottle of beer in her hand. The rebel patted Lynette's shoulder in a friendly way.

"Isn't that sort of what you did to me?" Lynette challenged.

"What do you mean? I don't ignore you at school and then go all hypocrite and talk to you like we were besties at parties just because you're friends with the cool kids"

"Well, we both talked at Lee's party a long time ago and you didn't start saying hello to me until weeks later.

"Oh, that's right, actually" Edie admitted "I started talking to you when I realized that you _were_ cool"

Lynette raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that the same?"

The taller girl shook her head.

"Not at all. They _think_ you're cool because you go to Lee's parties and talk to the cool kids. I _know_ you are cool because you don't run away from Kath or treat her like the rest of the school. And that's more than cool"

Hearing those words, Lynette couldn't help but smile. She was glad that someone had noticed her efforts. A part of her was proud of herself for being able to see past the nasty rumors and the dark clothing.

"It's a shame she wasn't invited" she commented.

"Are you kidding? She'd hate this" Edie chuckled "Seeing people drinking or smoking totally freaks her out. Not to mention how much couples piss her off"

"I understand her" Lynette sympathized "But there are also people who don't smoke, drink or make out"

"Yeah, the boring ones" Edie teased "Speaking of which, come outside with me; I need a cigarette like right now"

Before she could even protest, the rebel had already dragged her to the backyard, where the rest of her clique – except for Mike and Angie, who were making a show of themselves fondling around in the middle of the dancefloor – were standing in a circle, the usual clouds surrounding them.

Edie leaned against the fence as she lit her cigarette. Seeing her in that black tank top and skinny jeans, Lynette couldn't help but wonder how she could not be freezing. She watched her exhale some smoke, a gesture that made her look like a femme fatale. It was hard to believe that such a hard, slutty appearance was hiding such a friendly, sensitive soul.


	25. Surprise me

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Those two weeks, for worse or for better, went by very quickly. Now it was back to routine after the Christmas break.

Luckily for Bree, as Mary-Alice had predicted, everyone seemed to have forgotten about the incident with her stepmother at the party. Her reputation hadn't suffered at all. In fact, everything was pretty much the same as it had been before the holiday.

Yet for Lynette back to routine did not only mean back to school, but also back to seeing her friends… and back to writing. As the two hard-working girls they were, in their last meeting they had agreed to resume their story on the very first day after Christmas.

Waiting by the doorstep, Lynette shook some snow away from her shoes, rubbing them against JK's welcome mat. A short while after she rang, Reilly opened the door. In contrast to Edie, she did seem to sense the cold winter temperature, having changed her usual corsets and lacy shirts for a simple, thicker polo-neck pullover and jeans instead of the long skirts she liked to wear. True to her style, though, everything was black. The make-up, together with the spiky belt and bracelet, gave her that personal, gothic touch.

"Hey, come in" she greeted, moving aside.

"How was your holiday?" Lynette wondered with a smile as the other girl closed the door behind her.

"Oh, pretty good" Reilly replied "Nothing too special, but it was nice. We visited some relatives in Boston. Yours?"

"Same as usual" Lynette shrugged "Did you get many presents?"

"Can't complain. Mainly money and some clothes. What did you get?"

A bitter chuckle escaped Lynette's throat. Seeing the confused look on JK's face, she explained:

"My mother thinks I'm too old for presents. Only my little sisters get something… if she remembers to buy it"

"Oh" the outcast made a face, clearly sympathizing with her co-writer.

"Anyway, now you have one more. I got you a little something" the blonde announced as she unzipped her rucksack and fumbled around.

"What?"

Her eyes widened even more when Lynette took out a present, wrapped in black and golden paper. Katherine shook her head.

"But why? You didn't have to…"

"I wanted to, though" Lynette handed her the small package "Hope you like it"

JK looked at Lynette for a moment before biting her lip and unwrapping the present. She did so carefully, trying not to break the paper. It was plain to see that it had been chosen especially for her; she wanted to treat it with respect. Once the content was revealed, she couldn't hold back a gasp. It was a journal. The covers were black and red and it had some Chinese signs on it.

"I love it!" she exclaimed.

For the first time since she had known JK Reilly, Lynette witnessed how the goth's lips curled in a wide, sincere smile. Her whole face lit up. For a moment, the blonde felt that she had seen a glimpse of what she must have been like before the darkness of her world took over her. And she liked that. In fact, she liked it so much that she had to smile herself, while her knees began shaking as though they were made of jelly.

"I have thousands of these" JK looked at the blonde, a sparkle of enthusiasm in her eyes "One of the few things I collect. How did you know?"

"I just thought you might like it, as you enjoy writing so much" Lynette shrugged.

"You really shouldn't have though" the outcast bit her lip, smiling sheepishly "This is so embarrassing… I don't have anything for you"

"It's fine. I just wanted to have a nice detail"

Reilly looked around her room. Her lips pressed tightly together and her slight frown made clear that she was thinking of something. It was the expression she always had when she was trying to concentrate. After a moment, she snapped her fingers and searched her wardrobe. Lynette observed in silence, not knowing what she was doing.

"Here it is!" JK announced as she took something green out of a drawer.

She held it out and showed it to Lynette. It was a beautiful corset in different shades of green, black stripes of lace adorning it. The blonde moved her gaze from the piece of clothing to her co-writer.

"For me?" she asked.

The other girl nodded. She looked down and brushed some auburn locks away from her face.

"I know it's not as nice as buying you a present would have been… But you always say that you like my corsets, so I thought you might want to have it"

"No, no, it's yours!" Lynette shook her head "It's really lovely of you, but I can't accept it"

"Why not? I hardly ever wear it anymore"

"But it's yours. And I don't want to think of how much you must have spent on it…"

"Lynette, it's fine, really" JK insisted "It doesn't fit me anymore. I think you could give it a better use than just keeping it hidden at the back of my wardrobe. Besides, I made it myself"

"What? Really?"

Lynette took the corset and examined it. The piece had little to envy those made by professionals.

"Did you seriously make it yourself?"

"Actually, I make most of my clothes. Buying this kind of stuff is expensive, not to mention that they are only sold in bigger cities"

"Well, in that case… I think I'm keeping it" Lynette smiled as she put it in her backpack "Thanks a lot"

"You're welcome. Thanks to _you_ for the present"

JK opened the folder where she had all they had written so far. She flicked through it until she found the last chapter they had.

"I read your part" she told Lynette "I loved how you introduced the new character. And I love how you describe the dragon's personality – deep down harmless and intelligent, but feared by everyone because of his menacing looks"

Lynette smiled. If her co-writer knew where she had got the inspiration from…

"Have you thought of a name?" the redhead wanted to know.

"Umm… I was thinking of calling him Yllier" the other girl replied "I don't know whether it sounds good for a dragon though"

"No, I like it" JK nodded "How did it occur to… oh!" she rolled her eyes playfully when she understood the hidden play on words "You're horrible, did you know that?"

"I know" she replied, unable to hide her grin "I thought that Ettenyl could be the first one to see past the dangerous appearance and the prejudices about dragons"

Reilly stared at her, taking a couple of seconds to reply. Just when she was going to speak, the doorbell rang. She groaned a little as she stood up to answer the door. Imagining who it would be, Lynette followed her. And she was right – Edie was waiting by the doorstep. The blonde rebel tidied up her long, straight hair and greeted her friend.

"Hey! Have I caught you guys in a busy moment?"

"Well, sort of…" Katherine replied.

"I don't care anyway" Edie walked into the house, pushing the goth slightly aside.

Lynette gave JK a look, and the way she glanced back said "Yes, she is always like this. I'm used to it". The outcast simply shrugged and shut the door, while the newcomer walked to the kitchen counter and pushed herself up with her hands to sit on it.

"I thought I could just invite you guys to the chocolate place where we went last time and have a chocolate to celebrate the new year or whatever" Edie looked around herself.

"Actually, we haven't written at all yet, so it'd be better if we leave it for a different time" JK explained.

"Boooring!" Edie commented "It's the first day after the holiday and you're already talking like a nerd"

"I'm not a nerd; I'm just a good student" Katherine retorted.

"Which is a euphemism for nerd, Kath, and you know it"

"But she's right. We haven't worked on the project since before Christmas. And we still have a lot to write" Lynette intervened.

"Come on! Knowing you guys, you've probably already written half the Bible" Edie teased "Carlos and I have just three pages and we don't worry that much…"

"Yeah, but we don't have much time. Lynette has to go before it gets dark, which means we'd only have an hour to do something useful"

"Drinking chocolate _is_ useful! It's good for your health" Edie insisted "Come on, you already had at least half an hour or so to do something…"

JK shook her head. In response to Edie's questioning look, she ran a hand through her locks as she replied.

"Lynette got me a Christmas present and she wanted to give it to me"

The expression on Edie's face changed radically. She tilted her head to the other blonde.

"Really? Did she?"

"Yeah, she got me a journal"

"Oh, great! One more for your collection!" her eyes were still fix on Lynette "That's pretty much the best thing you could present JK with"

Lynette looked down softly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well, I was also thinking of a dragon figurine, but I didn't find any"

"Oh" a wicked smile was playing across Edie's face. Her gaze moved between Lynette and JK constantly "Wow! Isn't she nice? She really thought about it"

The outcast rolled her eyes, letting out a sigh. Lynette didn't understand what was going on. Why the sarcastic tone? Was Edie implying that she had some ulterior motive to give her a present? If she was thinking that she was just using JK in some way, she had to defend herself.

"Well, why wouldn't I?" she exploded in the end "JK is my friend. Sometimes friends like to exchange Christmas presents, you know?"

"Oh, I know" Edie nodded, turning her head to Reilly "Did you give her something in return?"

JK bit her lip, embarrassed.

"I didn't buy anything for her, so I gave her my green corset"

"The green one? Wasn't that your favorite, Kath?"

"You said it – it _was_" the auburn-haired girl corrected "I can't wear it anymore since those two decided to keep growing"

Ignoring the reference to her breasts, Edie continued her questioning.

"Still, a corset is quite a personal present…"

"Where's the big deal?" JK protested "She always tells me she likes my clothes, so I thought she might want to have it"

"Besides, I didn't do it to get something in return" Lynette joined in.

Edie licked her lips, watching the other two with a satisfied smirk. She raised an eyebrow and jumped down from the counter. Lynette and JK's gazes followed her on the way to the door, puzzled by her behavior.

"Well, I see that you two are busy, so I'll let you go on with the story" she looked back at them before opening the door "Have fun!"


	26. Me and the nerds

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

…**..**

_God, why did I listen to her? I feel ridiculous and I haven't even walked in…_

Those were some of the thoughts running through Lynette's head as she headed for the science lab, mixed with the guilt of having given their friends a silly excuse to ditch them during recess. And even more, she was terribly embarrassed to think that she had just left her clique to see the so-called nerds.

No other was to blame but JK Reilly. Unfortunately, the last time they had met had not been quite as productive as both had planned. Once Edie left, they barely managed to write two more lines of their story. Most of the remaining hour they had, they spent it talking. Lynette didn't remember how they got there anymore, but at a certain moment, her co-writer suggested that she should join the Science Club if she liked sciences. The goth went on to point out that they were still taking new members now that the semester had just started. She had almost asked her whether she was out of her mind. She didn't want to be mistaken for a nerd, for God's sakes! JK's only response had been shrugging and saying:

"Well, if you like something, it's pointless to stop doing it just because of everyone else, don't you think?"

At that moment, Lynette had thought she was right and felt the urge to prove that she wasn't as shallow as everyone else. That was the reason why she had decided that she would join the Science Club as soon as possible. Nevertheless, she hadn't yet done it and was already regretting it.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked at the lab door. The voices on the other side stopped dead. Next thing she heard were someone's steps approaching slowly and insecurely. Finally the door opened. Lynette recognized the boy her classmates usually referred to as Hodgie. His brown eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her, blinking.

"If you're looking for the cheerleader try-outs, they're in the gym" he informed.

"No, I'm actually looking for the Science Club" she replied shyly.

"Oh. Really? Well, in that case, come in"

He gave her a polite nod as he opened the door and stepped aside. As soon as she went in, she felt the boys' nervous, furtive looks and the only girl's envious glare.

"Orson, you tard!" one of the boys protested "If you get us in another stupid prank like last time, we're so kicking you out!"

Hodgie ignored his buddy's angry comment and looked back at Lynette seriously.

"So, what can the Science Club do for you?" he asked kindly.

The blonde bit her lip, feeling slightly embarrassed. She wasn't sure what made the situation more awkward – the way her friends would look at her if they knew what she was doing or the fear of being rejected _by the nerds_.

"I… would like to become a member"

Orson's jaw dropped. Just like all the others'. The first one to react was the girl, who cleared her throat and walked up to Lynette in a menacing way.

"You are aware that you have to like sciences to be a member, right?" she put her hands on her hips.

"Of course, that's why I'm here" Lynette insisted.

"Right" the girl stifled a sarcastic chuckle "It's not enough to like science; you have to _know_ about it. You probably think you're one of us just because you can say the names of three different elements, but that's not what this is about"

"Nina, that's enough!" Orson held the girl by the shoulders.

"No, she's right" another boy stepped forward "How do we know she's not here to play a prank on us?"

"I'm not!" Lynette assured him.

"Either way, we have to put you to the test" the boy grinned maliciously "Let's see… when was the last time you played _Dungeons & Dragons_?"

"That has nothing to do with sciences, George" Orson pointed out.

"Just answer the question" George's gaze was still fix on Lynette.

"I've never played it"

"See?" George smirked "She's not one of us. You can go back to laugh with your friends, blondie"

Tom, who had been away from the group, finally broke his silence.

"That's unfair, George. I think at least we should ask her another question. And if possible, something that _is_ related to science"

Lynette smiled, happy that someone had jumped in to defend her. George narrowed his eyes, thinking, before asking the question:

"Fair enough. What's the symbol and the number for bronze on the periodical table?"

"Bronze doesn't appear on the periodic table!" Lynette answered quickly "It's an alloy of copper and tin"

While Orson and Tom seemed positively impressed, Nina sighed harshly.

"Oh, come on, that one was easy! If you're so smart, why don't you tell us what an intron is? Is it one of the subatomic particles, perhaps?"

"Actually not" the blonde gave her rival a challenging look "An intron is just a fragment of DNA that's not translated into a protein. Oh, and by the way" she pointed to the blackboard "Three to the power of two is not six, but nine"

All members of the Science Club gasped. At a sign of George's, they formed some sort of group hug and started murmuring something, probably deliberating whether her membership would be accepted or not. While she was proud of herself for proving that she was intelligent, she felt rather nervous. Would they let her in? On the other hand, a part of her enjoyed sensing Nina's jealousy. She was clearly used to being exclusive and didn't want to lose that privilege. After a couple of minutes, the group separated.

"Alright. You're in" George announced.

Lynette smiled. She was going to say thank you when George interrupted her.

"However, you should know that being a member of the Science Club entails certain responsibilities, such as coming to our meetings every week, starting today"

"Of course. I was counting on that"

"Well, welcome to the Science Club!" Orson smiled.


	27. The Questioning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

…**..**

After nagging for about two weeks, Edie had finally managed to drag JK and Lynette to the chocolate place. She had said it herself – she would not take 'no' as an answer.

"I just thought it would be fun, to celebrate the beginning of a new semester…" she justified herself as they sat around one of the wooden tables.

"Why don't you just admit that you had a huge craving for chocolate and needed an excuse?" JK retorted.

Edie responded by whacking her playfully. Lynette smiled at the sight of them. She liked how they both seemed to act more naturally when they were on their own, without having to play the roles school politics had assigned them.

"So, whose turn is it to order this time?" the blond rebel asked.

"How about yours?" JK suggested.

"Nah, I don't feel like standing up. Lynette, why don't you get us our chocolates?"

"Only if you say the magic word" the other blonde grinned cheekily.

"Who do you think you are?" Edie glared at her.

Lynette had a look at JK. The outcast was laughing under her breath, which made her smile. She had begun acting more cheerful around her, smiling and laughing much more often. It was kind of hard to see her as a goth anymore. Or at least, she was making Lynette forget all the stereotypes she had ever heard about them.

"Edie, it's not such a big deal to say please from time to time, you know" Reilly intervened.

The rebel sighed harshly.

"Of course, how could you _not_ not side with her?" she muttered "Alright… _Please_, Lynette, could you get us our chocolates?"

"Coming right up!"

Before heading for the bar, Lynette and Katherine exchanged satisfied looks. Edie narrowed her eyes. She didn't like how her two friends were starting to team up against her more and more often. However, she didn't say anything until Lynette was a few meters away.

The newest addition to the group ran a hand through her hair, her elbow resting on the counter. While she waited to be served, she watched the two girls. She didn't know what they were talking about, but they were pretty close, as though they were sharing some sort of secret. For a moment, she felt slightly jealous. Her rational mind was telling her that it was normal; after all, Edie and JK had known each other for a longer time. Reilly had problems relying on people, so it would probably take Lynette some time to win her trust. Nevertheless, there was something about that closeness she envied. The woman at the other side of the counter made her snap back to reality.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Oh. Yeah, I'd like to have a hazelnut chocolate… uhm…" she tried to remember her friends' orders "Russian chocolate… and plain dark chocolate"

"Alright"

A few minutes later, the woman had finished preparing the chocolates and slid a tray over the counter to Lynette. The blonde paid and carried them to the table where her friends were sitting.

"I don't think it'll work" she heard JK saying with a worried expression on her face.

"Trust me, I'll make it work" Edie replied "At least it's worth trying…"

"No, please, don't tell her…"

"Tell who what?" Lynette interrupted as she left the tray on the table.

"Nothing" JK answered quickly, giving Edie a sharp look.

"Kath was just telling me that you had joined the Science Club"

Lynette felt color taking over her cheeks immediately.

"I'm not a nerd!"

"Hey, I wasn't judging" the rebel shrugged as she had a sip of chocolate "Kath here didn't want me to mention it because she thought you'd be embarrassed"

"I… kind of am" she admitted.

"Why?"

"Well… the Science Club is for nerds… and I don't want people to think I'm a nerd"

"Does it look like we were at school _right now_?" Edie snapped "Everyone has different interests; I'm not gonna call you one thing or the other because of that. Well, on second thought, I'd probably stop talking to you if you became a cheerleader… but I have political reasons for that"

Her listener nodded understandingly. Now she felt even more stupid. She glanced at JK out of the corner of her eye. The goth had her face almost buried in her mug of chocolate, clearly wanting to stay out of the conversation. The stiffness in her back showed that she was actually feeling rather awkward. Lynette didn't understand why.

"So… what is it like to hang out with the nerds? Are they fun?" Edie questioned before Lynette had time to think.

"Yeah. Well, I've only been to three meetings so far, but they're nice. In fact, we've had some interesting conversations"

"Good" Edie toyed with her spoon "You must be the only girl…"

"No, there's also Nina Fletcher…"

"That's pretty much the same as being the only girl. In any case, you must be getting lots of attention"

"Edie…" JK warned.

"You know, nerds are not really used to female company" Edie continued, ignoring her friend.

A bewildered Lynette frowned.

"They've been very nice to me so far…"

"Oh, I'm sure they have. After all, they're more polite than most boys. I just meant that they must be all over you. Suddenly having a pretty girl amongst them must be quite a big change for them"

The blonde instantly blushed. Had her friend just given her a compliment? She heard the third member in the group sighing. Yet Edie's insistence didn't give her a chance to ask Reilly what was going on.

"Any admirers already?" the rebel smirked, resting her chin on her hand.

"Er… no!" Lynette blinked, suddenly feeling strangely nervous "At least not that I know…"

"Edie, will you stop that?" JK said underneath her breath, glaring at Edie.

"I doubt they haven't noticed you" Edie insisted "Anyway, what about you? Any crushes?"

"What?"

"Yeah, you've heard me. Are you- ouch!" Edie winced.

JK gave her friend a harsh look. Lynette couldn't help but think that she would never understand how their minds work.

"If she doesn't want to talk about it, don't pressure her" Katherine said in a softer tone "Just leave her alone"

"Fine!" the rebel snorted.

"No, it's ok" Lynette intervened "I'm not interested in any of them"

"Are you sure? What about Tom Scavo?"

"Tom? Hell no!" she exclaimed "He's nice, and I suppose he's not unattractive… but I'm not into him. Why are you asking?"

The blond rebel shrugged.

"Just wondering. There was a rumor that you both were dating"

Lynette shook her head.

"No, not at all"

"But do you like him?"

"Edie!" JK exclaimed "You're being annoying!"

"It's ok" Lynette told Reilly "No, I don't like him. I don't like anyone at the moment"

Edie's lips curled into a strange kind of smile. Lynette couldn't decipher the gesture. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she felt that her friends had been acting very strange in the past minutes.

"Good. That's good"


	28. A Stroke of Luck

**Disclaimer: I do not own Desperate Housewives or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

…**..**

"Shouldn't we wait for the rest before starting the session?" Lynette asked, frowning.

"Absolutely not!" Lee replied "In fact, this is a very exclusive meeting"

The boy looked outside the press room, checking that there was no-one around. He then closed the door and the windows, as though they were about to be attacked any minute. His three friends watched, puzzled. Whatever he wanted to tell them, it must have been something really important.

"Are you gonna drop the bomb already?" Mary-Alice asked, starting to get impatient with curiosity.

Lee walked back to the table around which they were all gathered. Before starting his narration, he looked excitedly from one of the girls to the next one, maintaining the tension in the dramatic silence.

"Get ready for the drama, ladies. My secret informer amongst the cheerleaders-"

"You can call her by her name, we all know it's Gabby Marquez" Bree interrupted.

"But that removes all the mystery!" Lee protested "Alright. _Gabrielle_ told me something really big is cooking up…"

"Oh, please! Don't tell me it's again about the thing with Annabel and her fake boobs!" the blonde rolled her eyes.

"No, it's much better than that!" Lee seemed to be close to exploding.

"Let me guess – are they planning to have an orgy or something with the football team?" Mary-Alice chimed in.

"No! That's too crazy even for them!" Lee gave her a look "But maybe later you want to talk about why you've been so strangely horny lately"

The tallest girl sighed, her cheeks flushing. Bree, on the other hand, stifled a chuckle because of Lee's comment. Lynette merely rested her elbows on the table, waiting for Lee to finally reveal what he had found out.

"It's about Delfino and Bremmer!" Lee announced triumphantly "According to Gabby, they've been seeing each other a lot in the past weeks"

"Duh! They're writing their Literature project together, you genius!" the redhead pointed out.

"I don't mean that, silly" the gossiper retorted "They've only been using the project as an excuse. Susan Bremmer told Gabby that she went to the cinema with him"

"So what? Friends do that all the time!" Mary-Alice shrugged.

"Since when do two friends – a boy and a girl – go together to the cinema _on their own_ if there's nothing between them?" Lee exclaimed "Besides, this is not all… they kissed!"

Lynette forced herself to gasp in unison with her two friends. She honestly could not care less about that story, but knowing how important it was for Lee, she just decided to be supportive and show some interest, even if it was fake.

"What kind of kiss are we talking about?" Bree wanted to know.

"Bremmer says it was just a peck on the lips, no tongues involved"

"That's not such a big deal, isn't it?" Mary-Alice commented.

Lee's eyes widened. He glared at his gigantic friend as though she had just pronounced the worst blasphemy of all.

"Of course it is a big deal!" he yelled, offended "Do you think Paul would like it if your lips touched someone else's?"

"Maybe it was just friendly?" she tried to justify "Besides, I don't think we can trust everything Marquez says…"

"Why would she make up such rumors about her best friend?"

"Lee, cheerleaders are the most fake, back-stabbing creatures in the whole planet. I could find a thousand reasons why she would invent such things just to get Susan in trouble"

"Alright, you do have a point there" Lee sighed "I guess I'll have to wait until it's confirmed to add it into the gossip column"

"That's a wise thing to do" Mary-Alice approved.

"I know. So… let's talk about what you guys have for this week"

The girls nodded, all of them opening their schoolbags and taking out their folders. Before they started their discussion, Bree was the one to fill the silence.

"Can I be first? If we get started on Mary-Alice's problem page, we'll never be done!"

Lee smiled guiltily, shrugging.

"I can't help it. She always has lots of juicy stuff"

"I agree with Bree" Lynette added seriously "I think her culture agenda will be the quickest"

At that moment, Lynette realized that she still hadn't had a look at the readers' letters, so she still hadn't chose what 'creative works' to publish. Biting her lip hard, she prayed that there wouldn't be enough time for her to talk about her section. No luck there. Once Bree was done, as Lee had to think of a Plan B, the problem page was going to be last and the rest of the team hadn't arrived, it was her turn.

"I…" she cleared her throat nervously "I received many letters this week, so… I think we should publish…" she searched in her folder and picked a random drawing "… this one"

The rest leaned forward to have a look and give their opinion. Lee frowned softly.

"Alright… I don't think this is one of the best ones we ever got… why do you want to publish it?"

"Er… well, I found it… cute" she tried to justify herself "Besides, it's a different style from the usual stuff. I mean, we always publish those anime-like pictures, or the more realistic ones. I think this could be a nice change"

"Oh, good point!" Mary-Alice exclaimed "Everyone should have a chance to get their art published"

Lynette smiled. She thanked her own brain for being so imaginative and helping her invent such a silly reason. At least Mary-Alice had bought it, so it couldn't be that bad. Now it was time to choose a couple more things to publish. Lucky that she had at least classified the letters into categories depending on what they were: drawings, short stories, personal messages, poems, ads… It'd be alright just to choose one more drawing and two of the other kinds.

"I was also thinking about… this one" she took the first manga-like drawing she found and showed it to the rest of the team "If people want manga, let them have it. I just thought it'd be nice to have some variety"

No-one complained about her choice. Swallowing, the blonde continued flicking through the other categories.

"Then I thought we could have this personal message…"

"What? Are you crazy?" Lee exclaimed, reading the letter "It's another one of Sylvia Greene's hate letters! We can't publish that!"

"Oops! Sorry, I took the wrong one" Lynette forced a nervous chuckle. She hadn't even read what she had chosen "I meant this one"

Thank god this time she had seen the words 'love' and 'stay the way you are' at the first quick glance. This would probably be more appropriate for the school newspaper. Her friends seemed to agree.

"I know it's corny, but I like it" Mary-Alice blushed.

"Of course you do! Any girl would melt if her boyfriend sent something like this to our magazine!" Lee laughed "Maria Scott is a very lucky girl"

"Urgh! I don't think I'd want my boyfriend to do that!" Bree wrinkled her nose "I find it quite embarrassing, frankly. Relationships only concern two people; the rest of the world doesn't need to know about their feelings"

"Come on, Bree" Mary-Alice replied "It's very sweet! Wouldn't you like it if someone told you this?"  
"Well, if someone told me this _personally_, I'd certainly welcome it. But this sort of cheesiness in public makes me feel uncomfortable"

Lee and Mary-Alice exchanged looks, shaking their heads at the redhead's uptight attitude. The latter was the first one to turn to Lynette and say:

"Don't listen to her; I think we should definitely publish it"

"I agree!" Lee singsonged.

The smaller blonde nodded and gave Lee the piece of paper. As she shuffled through the pages and the different categories to find something else, a small sheet of paper fell to the floor. Bree, who was sitting next to Lynette, noticed it and picked it up.

"What's this?" she wondered, reading it.

Before Lynette could answer the question, the other two, curious, moved closer to have a look. Just seeing it out of the corner of her eye, she recognized JK's calligraphy.

_Shit! I must have taken it by mistake when I visited her last time…_

Yet she didn't dare to say anything. She was also wondering what that would be. Lucky for her, Lee started reading aloud, not without first gasping:

"Oh my god! It's a poem!"

_Who are you to take over my dreams at night_

_And not to let me breath?_

_My life is just my own fight, _

_Only I can take the lead._

_But even though I try and try_

_Your ghost still lingers with me._

_Let me tell you honestly_

_How much I'm missing you now._

_And I won't grow out of it,_

_For even though I don't know how…_

_Your name is written in my soul!_

Her cheeks blushed instantly. She was certain that JK would kill her just to find out that she had read it. It seemed to be such a personal poem… All her friends were speechless, their eyes still fixed on the paper.

"Oh wow… it's amazing!" Mary-Alice exclaimed "Who wrote it?"

"I… erm…" Lynette stammered.

"You wrote it yourself?" Bree wanted to know.

"No! It… it just didn't have a name on it…"

"Either way, please tell me that was what you were planning on publishing" Lee commented "It's just too good not to!"

"Yes, I agree!" Mary-Alice chimed in "It's about being in love and missing someone… everyone can feel identified with it"

"Definitely! Everyone will love it!" Bree said.

Lynette could not believe that even the redhead approved of that poem. Ironically, all her friends would probably have a different opinion if they knew who had written it.

"Come on! You can't _not_ publish it!" Lee insisted.

She thought for a moment. On the one hand, JK would probably hate her as soon as she saw her work in the _FV-Mag_. On the other hand, her friends were so enthusiastic about it… and she herself found that it was such a good poem… JK had a great writing style; maybe that was a good chance to share it with the rest of the world – or the school, for that matter. The decision couldn't be harder.

"Actually, that's exactly the thing I wanted to publish" she lied.


End file.
